Chapter 138
The fishing trip was a success.
We caught enough to satisfy me, Chairman Han Jun-ho, and Han Yu-na.
"We caught enough to feed all of us, with plenty left over."
"Heh heh. Indeed. Fishing is so convenient when our Noah is with us."
Just as Chairman Han Jun-ho said this with a rather pleased laugh, the boat finished docking at the harbor.
"Hey! Han Jun-ho!"
"Hmm? Why, it's Park Seok-chul! What brings you here?"
There was another fishing team on a boat at the harbor.
A man around Chairman Han Jun-ho's age stood there and approached with a hearty laugh.
"Looks like you caught some, huh? I caught quite a bit this time, too."
"Heh heh. What did you catch that's so good you're this confident?"
"Don't be surprised when you see."
The icebox he showed them contained a flounder that looked to be six ja long.
It was definitely a big one.
"What do you think? Huh?"
"Heh heh. A flounder, huh? Flounder's tasty, sure. But..."
Chairman Han Jun-ho opened his icebox.
Inside was a six-ja-long red sea bream.
"Gasp."
"Isn't red sea bream tastier than flounder?!"
"Guh...!! I lose this time. But tomorrow will be different!!"
"Hahaha!! Since things have turned out this way, shall we have another match?!"
"Good! Bring it on!!"
The two old men growled at each other.
Han Yu-na let out a small sigh as she watched them.
"He's Chairman Park Seok-chul of Yujin Group. He's practically Father's rival."
Like Saseong Group, Yujin Group was also in the construction industry.
Perhaps that's why they had such a strong sense of rivalry, Han Yu-na explained calmly.
"And this time, they're also a competitor for the Saudi project."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. According to what you said, Mr. Noah, we'll win the contract, but we can't underestimate them."
"Yes. At one point, they were slightly ahead of Saseong. We can't ignore their potential."
Saseong was currently about two places higher in the business rankings.
Perhaps because of that, Chairman Park Seok-chul of Yujin Group had recently been showing an even stronger sense of rivalry toward Chairman Han Jun-ho.
"But a fishing contest? Do they do this often? They seem experienced."
"Yes. They've mentioned it several times before. 'I won the fishing contest.' 'I lost by just 1 cm.' Things like that."
For Chairman Han Jun-ho, fishing was a relaxing hobby.
Then it would be an enjoyable competition for me too, so I should watch and indulge him with a smile.
"Noah. Why don't you have fun in Gangneung with Yu-na tomorrow?"
"Wouldn't it be better to go with me if you want to win?"
"Heh. Sometimes a man has to face his rival head-on."
If he accepted my help, I could find a future where he landed a big catch and connect him to it.
But he wanted to compete purely through luck and skill, and I couldn't stop him.
It wasn't as if this fishing trip was connected to some major event.
"Sure. Then let's do that."
"Good. Thanks. Yu-na, go have fun with Noah tomorrow."
"Yes!"
Chairman Han Jun-ho laughed heartily, then pulled a card from inside his jacket and handed it to me.
"You're going out with my daughter, so consider this your spending money and eat as much delicious food as you like. There are plenty of cafés in Gangneung, too, so visit some. I hear you like coffee?"
"Oh. How did you know that?"
"Yu-na told me. She said you drink a latte every day without fail?"
I looked at Han Yu-na.
Her face had turned slightly red, and she subtly looked away.
"Every time our Yu-na eats with me, she talks about you so much... Mmph!"
Han Yu-na quickly covered Chairman Han Jun-ho's mouth.
Her face was so red that she looked ready to explode.
"N-no! It's not like that! I didn't talk about you that much!"
"Haha. You'll kill the chairman at this rate. All right, I understand, so let him go."
"Mmph..."
Freed from Han Yu-na's hand, Chairman Han Jun-ho glared sharply at his daughter.
"This girl is already trying to take her father's place..."
"Father!!"
"Hahaha! Just kidding! Just kidding! Anyway, have fun."
Now that I'd even received spending money, I had to make sure we really had fun.
.
.
.
The next morning.
As usual, I got up in the morning, exercised lightly, had a cup of coffee, and played a round of morning Dunsa before Han Yu-na came out.
She must have just showered; her face was flushed, and her hair was still damp.
"Good morning."
"Yes. It looked like the chairman went out at dawn."
"Is that so? But, Mr. Noah, what should we do for fun?"
"Hmm. I don't know Gangneung well either. Shall we get breakfast first?"
I had heard there was a place in Gangneung that was known for its brunch.
"Uh, how about something other than brunch?"
"Something else? Is there anything you want to eat?"
"S-sundae-guk."
"Oh."
Sundae-guk sounded good.
Besides, hearing someone with such sophisticated looks suggest eating sundae-guk made me find myself liking her even more.
"Let's go."
We polished off a bowl of sundae-guk for breakfast and had a cup of coffee at a café, yet we still had plenty of time left.
"So what do we do now?"
"Let's go to a PC bang and play Dunsa."
"That's an extremely wise choice."
There happened to be a PC bang nearby.
Both Han Yu-na and I took Dunsa seriously, so how could we possibly skip the PC bang?
We went straight inside.
Maybe because it was Sunday morning, the place was crowded.
There were especially a lot of kids who looked like they were in elementary, middle, or high school, scattered throughout the place.
"There's a couple's seat here."
She naturally led me to the couple's seat, turned on the computer, checked something, and smiled.
"I haven't even burned through my Priest's fatigue yet."
"Then let's start by hunting."
We had been burning through our fatigue together for quite some time when it happened.
A group of boys who looked like high school students came rushing in and began taking the seats in front of us.
That was when I spotted one of them.
"Huh."
"Yes?"
"No, nothing. Ms. Yu-na, would you like a drink?"
"Yes. Oh, and what do you think of this unique item? It looks decent."
"It's good. It looks like it'd suit you perfectly right now."
"Good."
While she initiated a trade and negotiated, I got up from my seat.
I paid for two chocolate bars and two drinks at the counter and was bringing them back when one of the boys sitting in front recognized me.
"Gasp!! Hyung Noah?!"
"What?!"
"You mean Hyung Noah?!"
Four male high school students.
No, not just them.
The people in the PC bang who knew me began looking my way.
"I-it's really him!!"
"Hyung Noah really exists!!"
"So he isn't an AI!!"
"Hyung! Hyung!"
"Hyung Noah!!"
Even the people who had been gaming crowded around me.
Ha. There's no helping this popularity of mine.
"Haha. You guys, line up. I'll give you autographs, take pictures, and read your fortunes, too."
"Wooooooah!!"
"I knew I could trust you!"
"That's our hyung!!"
I quickly gave the people who lined up autographs and took photos, and lightly read their fortunes.
The boy I'd seen earlier was in that line, too.
"Hyung!! I'm a huge fan!! Oh my god! I can't believe I'm seeing Hyung Noah in person!!"
"Consider it an honor for your family."
"Aaaaaah!! Anyway, hyung!! You'll read my fortune too, right?"
"Of course."
Because I'd seen your future and acted on it.
The boy carefully turned over the card I held out.
The Tower, reversed.
Looking straight at the boy who stared at me nervously, I spoke firmly.
"Yoo Yi-myeong, second year, Class 3 at Gangneung High School."
"Wooooow!! As expected of you, hyung!! You got it in one..."
"You're fated to die."
........
The boy who had been overjoyed just moments before froze stiff.
No, he wasn't the only one.
The friends who had come with Yoo Yi-myeong froze, too.
"W-what do you mean? Hyung? Why would I...?"
"You guys are going to Japan on a school trip next week, right?"
"Uh... y-yeah."
"The third day of your trip is free time, right?"
"Uh... y-yeah."
"When you're near a subway station during that time, someone will shove you. You know, a shoulder-check? You'll be knocked off the platform and fall onto the tracks..."
Then you'll be hit by a train and die instantly.
"M-me? Why me?"
"Who knows?"
I don't know.
Not in Yoo Yi-myeong's future, nor in any of his friends'.
They never managed to find the person who shoved him.
There were simply too many people around.
"...Would it be better if I didn't go on the school trip?"
"Huh."
It was at the moment Yoo Yi-myeong decided to give up on the school trip.
The future of the friend beside him changed.
He was shoved instead of Yoo Yi-myeong and fell onto the subway tracks.
Then he was hit by a train and died.
Yoo Yi-myeong despaired as he watched it happen.
I told him exactly what I had seen.
"...So someone is going to die no matter what."
"Yes."
This wasn't about the victim.
The perpetrator would somehow shoulder-check someone there.
Even if none of these boys went, someone at that station might be shoulder-checked by that person and killed.
"...So assuming I do go, is there a way to stop it now that I know the future from you, hyung?"
"Hmm. You mean you've decided to fight back."
The future changed in an instant.
Although he was shoulder-checked, he managed to hold his ground.
However, there were so many people that he couldn't determine exactly who had hit him.
This alone meant that Yoo Yi-myeong wouldn't die.
"But we wouldn't be able to catch whoever it was?"
"Yeah. Looks like he's pretty skilled."
Of course, we couldn't just leave it at that.
Even if it was another country, how could we leave such a fucking bastard alone?
"Then let's think of another way."
I looked at Han Yu-na.
The trade must have ended, because she was looking this way. She smiled and got up from her seat.
"Shall we go to a café?"
.
.
.
We left the PC bang and headed to a nearby café.
We entered a quiet café with no customers, and as soon as we sat down, I spoke.
"Your lives are in danger during your free time on the third day of the school trip."
It would be rush hour, with the station packed with people.
When Yoo Yi-myeong and his friends all decided not to go to the station, I saw a future in which, during the school trip, they despaired because a student from another class fell onto the tracks at that station and was hit by a train.
Just convincing these kids wouldn't change much...
"I guess I'll have to go and check it out myself."
"Huh?! You, hyung? Aren't you busy?"
"Me? I'm Time Bill Gates."
"What about the airfare...?"
"It's fine."
A round-trip flight to Osaka only cost three hundred thousand won.
For the cost of saving one person's life, it was incredibly cheap.
And it was exceptionally cheap for catching the bastard who would kill someone.