Chapter 19
***
Kwak Seong was blunt and rigid.
But even so, he had never once laid a hand on his family, never once spoken harshly to them.
He simply did his duty as the pillar of the household.
He had always been proud of that.
He was the pillar of the home.
A house built with the blood and sweat of his labor.
The home he had shared with his wife.
His wife had died of illness, and his child and daughter-in-law had died in an accident, but it was the home where their only remaining blood relative, his grandson, lived.
He thought he had to protect that house.
"Grandpa~!"
He was proud of his grandson.
Unlike himself, who had only graduated from elementary school and gone to work, his grandson was good at studying.
Even without parents.
Even under a grandfather who hadn't even finished middle school.
He studied on his own until he made it into Seoul National University, the best university in Korea.
Even when people around him praised him for having a good grandson~, he would only nod stiffly.
In truth, when he came home after finishing farm work and was alone, he would clutch the photos of his dead wife, child, and daughter-in-law, jump around, cry his eyes out, and even dance.
He was proud of his grandson enough to punch the air for no reason.
His grandson, Kwak Jun-hyung, was a fine man even in his eyes.
Even though he must have been busy with his studies, when summer came he would volunteer to help his grandfather, pulling weeds from the fields or helping with the harvest.
Even Old Man Maeng next door envied him—saying that kids these days didn't even care about their grandfathers—which was enough to make his shoulders bounce with delight.
Because of that, he liked his grandson, loved him, and was proud of him.
And then that grandson died.
A drunkard lost to alcohol.
Attacked by society's trash.
If his grandson had done something bad, he might have beaten his chest and regretted it as his own fault for having raised him wrong.
But that wasn't the case.
That crazy bastard was just a crazy bastard.
There was no reason for it.
He had simply gotten drunk, gone out with a knife, and lashed out at society.
His grandson died to a man like that.
While trying to save the people around him.
At barely twenty years old.
He died trying to save students younger than himself.
The news reported it day after day.
Everyone was sad.
Everyone mourned.
The culprit was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Even so.
Even so.
Kwak Seong could never forgive him.
That bastard.
And.
Himself, for failing to protect his grandson, whom he could never replace.
***
Mr. Kwak.
A stern old man with a fierce charisma, like the kind of character who appears in a movie and dies while protecting the protagonist, was looking at me.
His eyes were those of a hunter.
But they were also the eyes of a grandfather who loved his grandson.
That was why he was afraid.
And why he was desperately refusing to believe me when I said his grandson would die.
Honestly, I'd be the same.
Unless he knew me personally, there was no way this old man would know about the internet-famous me.
So I spoke firmly from the start.
The orphanage director used to say that.
If you want to move someone's heart, you have to use strong words from the very beginning.
They say strong words make you seem weak, but it was effective enough as a way of speaking.
"Sir. Do you know why PD Jang called me here, and why he called the hunters too?"
"It's because there was talk that wild boars were showing up around here."
"But what if we knew a wild boar would appear—and that it would charge the filming set?"
"...What are you talking about?"
"Sir. Have you ever heard of someone called Kang Noa?"
"Sorry, but I've never heard of him. Are you a celebrity or something? Then please give me an autograph. I was asked to get one when I said I was going to the filming set for my grandson. Well, it's better if you know someone."
When he raised his worn, time-stained notebook, I casually signed it.
I'm not exactly a celebrity wandering around out there, but I do work in broadcasting.
And maybe his grandson would know me.
"I know it's hard to believe. So when you get home, please look up Kang Noa. If possible, it would be best to leave it to your grandson."
"......"
"Please contact me."
All right. For now, I'd done everything I needed to do.
.
.
.
-Gansonmi : Bro! I lost the phone I bought yesterdayㅠㅠㅠ Please help me find it....
-You moron, just look for it.
-Search the whole house, damn it;.;
-Yeah, your phone's headed to China right now
"Gansonmi. Your phone is under your car right now."
-Gansonmi : Gasp!! Bro!! Thanks!
A little while later, Gansonmi replied.
[Gansonmi-nim donated 1000 gold.
[Bro!! I found it! Thanks!]
Thanks for what.
I wasn't planning on doing a donation reaction, so I was about to let it pass when
my phone rang.
It was an unknown number, so I ignored it, but it called again.
"Hang on, let me take this call."
-Who's calling?
-Is it a girl?Is it a girl?Is it a girl?Is it a girl?Is it a girl?Is it a girl?
"I don't know. It's an unknown number. Hold on... Hello?"
-...Sir. This is Kwak Seong.
"Ah. Sir. Hello."
-Hello?! How could I possibly be fine right now!!
Kwak Seong's voice was trembling.
Anxiety, and despair.
For a man as blunt as him, it was a voice I would never have expected.
-What? What's going on?
-An old man's voice?
A few people in the chat, after hearing Mr. Kwak's voice, posted messages.
This looks like it might go out on air, so I should hang up first...
-My grandson is going to die!! Please!! Please help me!! I can't let that happen! Sir!! Please! If this old man has to become your servant, I'll do it however many times you want! If you tell me to die in his place, I'll die a hundred, a thousand times! Please!!
Man, his voice sure is loud.
-Uh?
-What is this...
-Looks like something really important?
-Noa hyung! Don't worry about us and just get back to your phone call properly!!
After some thought, I nodded and got up from my seat, then went out of the room.
"Sir. Please don't get excited. Speak slowly. And what I told you was already because I meant to help you."
-Ahh... thank you... thank you, sir...!!
"Let's meet in person and talk."
I told him where to meet me.
Then, when I came back and sat down again, everyone was in an uproar.
-What happened?
-What's going on?
-Who's dying?
"Hmm. I'm not sure whether I should say this or not, so I'll stay quiet for now."
-There are two ways to really piss someone off, and one of them is to start talking and stop halfway.
-Ah! Please! I'm dying of curiosity!!
"I can't say much because of privacy, but there'll be an indiscriminate stabbing incident around Hongdae in four days. If possible, don't go near there."
-...Seriously?
-Isn't this a big deal?
-Shouldn't we call the police?
-Would the police even show up because a streamer predicted a stabbing incident four days from now...
Everyone looked unconvinced.
But even so, I said it.
Because I was hoping this might prevent a random stabbing attack from happening.
But it would happen.
Among the people who had left the chat out of curiosity, there were some who saw it.
People would die.
Kwak Seong's grandson, Kwak Jun-hyung, had escaped death, but in the original future, the ones he had stopped
were the innocent children who would die without ever seeing this broadcast or even knowing about it.
Then I guess I'd better get some help.
.
.
.
It was about two hours after the broadcast ended when Mr. Kwak came looking for me.
He looked anxious.
None of the confidence he had shown at the filming site remained.
Desperate.
The moment he saw me sitting in the café, he rushed over in a panic.
"Sir! Sir!"
-Is it that guy again?
-This time it's an old man...?
-Huh? Isn't that Kang Noa...?
Ugh.
I guess I can't come to this café anymore.
"Sir. Calm down."
"No, how am I supposed to calm down...!!"
"There. Flip this over quickly."
"Yes! Yes!"
This time, it was different.
He flipped the card right over.
The card that came up was the upright Wheel of Fortune.
Its meaning was unexpected good fortune.
Coincidence or fate, I wasn't sure, but it was a card that fit Kwak Seong perfectly.
"Your grandson will not die."
"...Ah... really... really?"
"Yes. And..."
Just then, the café door opened.
In came a big man with a rough face and a massive build.
"Over here."
"Ah. Sir."
The team leader of Detective Team 2 at Dobong Police Station.
Kang Injeong, who had just been promoted to inspector.
"What did you call me about?"
"Well..."
I explained the situation.
There would be an indiscriminate stabbing incident near Hongdae.
I needed his help then.
If someone who didn't know me heard that, they'd probably say, "What nonsense is he talking about?" But Kang Injeong had already worked with me once.
Like seeds planted and bearing fruit, Kang Injeong was already practically one of my people.
That was why his expression changed.
"Hongdae... you say?"
"Yes. The jurisdiction is different, but could I borrow some police support?"
"If I reported that I'd seen the incident through divination and that it would happen, they'd just say I was spouting nonsense. Even if I had a track record."
"Is that so?"
"But I can go in person."
"Oh. Really?"
"Yes."
Kang Injeong said it without the slightest hesitation.
"I'll go."
At that moment, his future changed.
The future where he would be stabbed by an indiscriminate attacker.
He wouldn't die, but it was still dangerous.
Then.
"Prepare stab-proof vests."
All we had to do was be prepared.
***
Hongdae on Friday is bustling.
It's not just the clubs in Hongdae.
Office workers who have finally finished a grueling week come here too.
The faces of the people gathered on Hongdae's sleepless, neon-lit streets were all smiling.
Joy. And energy.
That was the mood ruling the streets.
That.
That.
Yang Gilsu found it utterly unbearable.
I live such a miserable life.
Why are you all so happy?
I can barely afford to buy a bottle of soju,
and you all casually throw tens of thousands of won at bars?
I hate it.
I hate everyone.
After several bottles, the alcohol had started working on his brain.
He hated smiling people.
It felt like everyone was mocking him.
So.
So.
He pulled out a knife.
He didn't like the boy and girl walking toward him, laughing.
Kill them.
How dare you laugh at me?
In reality, it was just that the girl laughed at the boy's joke because she liked him.
But none of that mattered to Yang Gilsu.
He pulled out the knife he'd tucked inside his coat.
The blade reflected the dazzling light of the signs.
The boy, smiling as he spoke to the girl beside him, widened his eyes.
Yes.
Look at me.
Watch closely what I'm doing.
The instant he was about to bare his teeth and swing the knife at the pretty girl.
a man quickly stepped in between them.
Yang Gilsu's knife stabbed the man's stomach.
But it didn't pierce him.
The knife bounced off something hard and instead sliced across Yang Gilsu's hand.
And then came a hip throw.
As he rolled around on the ground, a burly man tried to pin him down.
-Clang!!
The knife rolled across the floor.
"Kyaaah!!"
A scream rang out.
"Aaaagh!!"
A cry of pain rang out as he was subdued.
The man who subdued Yang Gilsu
was the only one to remain calm amid the chaos, snapping handcuffs onto Yang Gilsu's wrists.