章 10: Chapter 10
Sung JiHan, who'd just logged out, scratched his head.
When GaYeong asked for his phone number, he thought of the number he used in the United States because he couldn't remember his Korean number.
If he really wanted to contact her, he could've asked for her phone number.
'It's not like I'm going to join any guilds at the moment.'
Wasn't the person who was thirsty supposed to dig a well?
Sung JiHan didn't feel the need to get GaYeong's phone number, but more than that…
'I can't wait to see the rewards.'
After reaching 7th in the rankings in his previous life, his experience point gain had almost completely stalled. One of the benefits of being a low-level player was the pleasure of leveling up and growing.
JiHan looked at the system's message window.
[You've cleared the limited quest 'Finish 1st Place in 10 Towers'.]
[You've earned 1,000 achievement points.]
[You finished 1st in a defense game.]
[As a bonus for finishing 1st, experience and GP gained will be increased by 50%.]
[Your level has increased by 2.]
[You've earned 1,500 GP.]
He didn't grow as much as in the tutorial, but the rewards for having finished 1st were satisfying. Considering he'd gained Divine Power and GP (Game Points), it was a substantial harvest for having just finished one game.
'If I keep going like this, I won't have to wait long before getting the right to participate in a promotion match.'
The rewards for finishing 1st in a Battle Net game were huge, but he'd also received a 50% increase effect.
If everything went according to what he thought and he kept finishing 1st, he'd be able to reach level 25 and participate in a promotion match in less than a month.
'Well, the game isn't that easy.'
If you did well a couple of times, you would get matched with players of a higher level the next time, which would make it hard to maintain a winning streak.
Levels made a huge difference in Battle Net.
'Still, I don't think I'll lose in Bronze.'
If he finished the Bronze League by obtaining 1st place in every match, that would be a record in itself, so maybe he'd get some extra achievement points.
He decided he'd tried to get 1st place in every game and opened the Battle Net market.
'Maybe I could get a relic with the GP I've earned…'
He soon closed the market. Even if the price of relics had decreased, there wasn't a single one he could buy with 1,500 GP. Even F-rank relics cost at least 3,000 GP or more.
'I'll have to look around…'
He invested the unassigned stat points he'd obtained thanks to having leveled up twice into his Martial Power.
There were many places he hadn't looked at yet, so JiHan decided to calmly explore the house.
'Then, let's go.' He left the room and headed towards the living room, intending to go to his sister's room from there.
Sae-jin's penthouse was so big that he had to walk for a while before he could get past the living room, and as he passed it, the family picture hanging on the wall by the sofa caught his attention.
'Was that photo taken ten years ago?'
Yoon Sae-jin, his sister, and his young niece were smiling brightly in the photo, and only Sae-jin's face was broken from when JiHan had punched the frame earlier.
'Should I destroy it completely?'
When he first broke it, his stats hadn't changed to Martial Power yet, so Sae-jin's image was still there.
JiHan walked up to it, not wanting to leave any traces of that face in the family photo.
Then…
Beep Beep. Beep-
He heard the sound of the door opening at the entrance.
"I'm back~ I'm the only one who returned early from the Jeju Island training camp," a high and bright voice said.
JiHan flinched.
"Huh. Uncle… did you finish all of the alcohol?"
A girl wearing a school uniform took off her shoes and walked into the living room, smiling at JiHan when…
"Ah…" she quickly walked up next to him when she saw the damaged family photo.
"Uncle…"
"Yes…?"
She smiled when she saw the damaged photo of her dad. "Why did you ruin it first?"
BOOM! She shattered Yoon Sae-jin's face.
"I was going to do it."
His niece, Yoon Sae-ah, mercilessly crushed her dad's face.
JiHan gave her a look of welcome and apology.
'Sae-ah… you're healthy.'
At 18 years old, Sae-ah was nine years younger than him.
He'd always been close to her—they were like siblings with a bit of an age gap.
'I was really surprised when my sister's belly swelled a year after our parents passed away.'
JiHan's parents had passed away in an accident, and his sister, who had to take care of her sibling who was 10 years younger than her, met Sae-jin while she was doing multiple part-time jobs to support her family.
They'd fallen in love, and his noona ended up having a baby at the young age of 20.
Back then, Sae-jin had said he would take responsibility. They had a modest wedding ceremony, and he moved into Sung JiHan's house.
They couldn't afford to buy a new house, so he moved into the apartment the siblings had inherited.
'I took care of her a lot since the two were busy working.' JiHan had taken care of Yoon Sae-ah since she was a baby, which was why she was important to him.
'But in my previous life… I wasn't able to protect her.'
What happened to Sae-ah in his previous life was horrible; he didn't even want to remember it.
'I won't let something like that happen again.' JiHan reaffirmed his will while looking at Sae-ah.
"Uncle? Why do you have such a serious expression."
"Ah, it's nothing. You did well, but what happened with the camp?"
Yoon Sae-ah smiled bitterly at JiHan's question. "The teacher sent me home first due to what happened yesterday."
"Ah… The press conference?"
"Yes… Dad called me before the conference."
"What did he say?"
"He said that he'd fallen in love."
He'd fallen in love…
JiHan ground his teeth.
How could he say something like that to his only daughter?
"Was that all…?"
"He said he's sorry, that he won't ask me to understand him, and that he can't take me with him…"
Bang!
JiHan's fist crushed Sae-jin's face and passed through the wall.
You couldn't even use half of the strength you could use inside the Battle Net games in the real world, but the power that 12 points of Martial Power gave you was impressive.
Sae-ah's eyes widened. "Huh… Uncle? When did you get so strong?"
"Ah, I'm sorry. I was so angry that I couldn't hold back. Please, continue."
"He said he would leave everything he owns in Korea to me as an inheritance and asked me to live well with you, Uncle."
"Ah, that piece of trash…"
Everything he owned? Sae-jin had sold most of his things before going to Japan.
The rumor that Sae-jin was going abroad started spreading after he started liquidating things, including his shares in the guild, among others.
The only thing he hadn't sold was the building where Yoon Sae-ah lived, the Sword Palace.
'But this building was also eventually confiscated by the government.'
The government hadn't taken much action on the building he'd left in Korea as a means to try convincing him to return, but when Sae-jin represented Japan and mercilessly trampled over Korea, public opinion turned against him.
- Our country came last in the East Asian League because of that bastard.
- He's a modern-day Lee Wan-yong.
- What? He's worse than him! He betrayed his country because of a woman!
Then, the anger against him turned toward his family left in Korea.
- Why did he leave his daughter in Korea?
- That's also suspicious!
- The Sword Palace… Didn't taxes pay for that?
- The building should be confiscated!
Public sentiment reached its worst, and Sae-ah's personal information spread throughout Korea without any of the personal information protection laws applying to her.
Then, Congress passed a law in response to the boiling public anger—a bill related to tax revocation for players who'd given up their nationality.
Thanks to that law, the government confiscated the building, and JiHan and Sae-ah were driven out of their home.
'It was hell…'
People also pointed their fingers at him, but it wasn't as bad as they did with Sae-ah since he wasn't directly related to Sae-jin and due to his sister Sung Ji-ah's achievements.
- But that's the younger brother of Saintess Sung Ji-ah.
- Yes. She passed away after stopping the dungeon break in North Korea. We shouldn't insult her younger brother.
- That's right. He isn't related to that Ito bastard by blood.
Based on that argument, Sae-ah was Ji-ah's daughter, but in the people's opinion, rather than the daughter of the Saintess, she was known as the traitor's daughter.
'I must stop such a thing from happening again…'
Yoon Sae-jin was the one who'd abandoned his country, not his niece, Yoon Sae-ah. She was also a victim.
He had to do his best to prevent the past from repeating, but for the moment…
'I must become a reliable adult that can support her.'
The JiHan of the past was immature and had been busy dealing with people's criticism, so he hadn't had time to pay attention to Sae-ah.
When he'd seen how calm and brave Sae-ah was, he'd said nonsense like, 'Sae-ah's amazing. Uncle's going through hell…'
He only realized how much she'd suffered when it was too late, but things had changed.
"Sae-ah…"
"Yes, Uncle?"
"I'm always on your side."
"What are you saying so suddenly…?"
"I haven't been reliable until now…"
2020's Sung JiHan was far from being a reliable adult. He didn't have a proper job other than predicting Battle Net results thanks to his Gift, Wanderer's Eye.
Everything he had, from house to car, had been given to him by his noona and brother-in-law.
He probably didn't look like a reliable adult in Sae-ah's eyes, but…
"I'm different now. I'm going to become an adult you can rely on. That's why… please don't try to endure it all by yourself. You can rely on me."
"I'm…" Sae-ah's expression changed for a brief moment at those words. Her face contorted and her eyes teared up, but…
"I'm okay." That face quickly disappeared, and Sae-ah smiled again. "I'm obviously going to rely on you, Uncle."
Even though she'd gone through a traumatic event, the mask she put on to hide her true feelings was smiling as brightly as ever.
JiHan smiled bitterly at that sight. "Yes…"
She probably wouldn't believe in him so suddenly. Not only that, but she probably wouldn't be able to vent everything she felt after being abandoned by her father.
'Let's gain her trust again with actions… Step by step.' JiHan decided to wait until his niece could open her heart a bit more.
"But rather than that…" Sae-ah pointed at JiHan with a bright smile on her face, as if she hadn't just been crying. "Uncle, you're the one depending on me since you're living in my house."
"This house?"
"Yes. That guy said he would leave everything he had in Korea to me, so I guess this was included."
JiHan looked around. It was a huge penthouse located in the middle of Gangnam, and if you included the price of the building underneath the penthouse, Sae-ah would be one of the richest people in Korea, but…
"Sae-ah, There's something I want to say regarding that."
"What…? If it's you, Uncle, I can give you half of it!" she giggled.
She was truly a good kid to be willing to give away half of such a building, but that wasn't what JiHan had in mind.
"That's not it."
"Then…?"
"This building… let's donate it to the country."
"What…?"
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