* * *
Snap, snap.
Seo Jungwoo snapped his fingers a couple of times right in front of Haeram’s dazed face.
Since Haeram hadn’t been able to focus at all during Mind Training lately, Seo Jungwoo’s face was filled with a look of worry.
“Haeram, are you feeling unwell lately? Do you have a fever?”
“Let’s see.”
Without hesitation, his hand reached out and touched Haeram’s forehead.
Haeram flushed red and pulled back slightly. Seo Jungwoo’s eyes widened a fraction.
But currently, Haeram couldn’t even pay attention to Seo Jungwoo’s expression.
He didn’t notice that the man was surprised by his rejection of the touch, nor did he realize that Jungwoo was busy searching his eyes, which were brimming with other thoughts.
Seo Jungwoo wondered if Haeram had become depressed because of his encounter with Guide Lee Inho.
He pondered what words of comfort to offer if Haeram had been hurt.
He was even starting to regret not slapping Lee Inho right then and there, regardless of who was watching.
Contrary to Seo Jungwoo’s worries, however, Lee Inho’s existence had long been wiped clean from Haeram’s mind.
That was only natural—it wasn’t a million won, ten million, or even a hundred million; it was over ten billion won.
Anyone in the shoes of the penniless Haeram would have felt the same.
“Um, Teacher, I have something to ask… I don’t know if I should say it. But I don’t really have anyone else to tell, so…”
When Haeram finally opened his mouth hesitantly, Seo Jungwoo felt almost relieved.
“Tell me. I’ll keep your secret even if a knife is held to my throat.”
Seo Jungwoo raised a hand and mimicked the motion of zipping his lips shut.
Since he was an Esper who wouldn’t die easily even with a knife to the throat, the oath was a bit shallow, but the gesture was cute.
Haeram watched him with round eyes before leaning in close.
Even though they were alone in a space with no one else to overhear, Seo Jungwoo played along with Haeram’s behavior.
He leaned down and brought his ear to Haeram’s lips.
“Um, this is a secret, but… there’s too much money in my bank account.”
A brief silence followed the whisper.
Seo Jungwoo flinched for a moment but remained still, listening.
He seemed genuinely shocked by the content.
“It’s embarrassing, but I’m really not the kind of person who should have that much money. It’s absolutely impossible for that kind of money to be in my account.”
“……”
“I’m worried it might be linked to a crime or something… I don’t know who to ask about this. So…….”
Haeram couldn’t finish his sentence, feeling foolish and embarrassed for having said it at all.
“Isn’t coming across unexpected money something to be happy about? And maybe it’s just money you forgot you had, Haeram.”
Seo Jungwoo’s expression was calm, as if it were nothing to be surprised about.
“Oh, goodness, it’s not that level of money.”
Frustrated, Haeram pressed even closer.
He cupped his hands around Seo Jungwoo’s ear, leaning in until his lips almost touched the ear canal.
“The amount in my account was…….”
After hesitating through several long breaths, Haeram finally confessed that the money exceeded ten billion won.
At that, Seo Jungwoo flinched violently and pulled away.
“……”
Seeing Seo Jungwoo’s face turn bright red—likely from the shock of the amount—Haeram felt a small sense of victory.
“You’re surprised too, right? This isn’t the kind of money one just forgets.”
“……Is that a problem?”
Seo Jungwoo touched his own bright red ear with a stiff expression, trying to act composed.
It was actually Haeram who was excited after letting the secret out.
“It’s money from an unknown source!”
Seo Jungwoo’s black eyes seemed to be deep in thought.
It was easy to tell because of the way the colors within them wavered.
He moistened his dry lips and spoke.
“Don’t you remember scratching a lottery ticket a year ago?”
“A year ago?”
A year ago was when Haeram’s condition had suddenly worsened; he had collapsed and barely managed to recover.
According to Nurse Shim Jihye, they really thought Haeram was going to die back then.
He had spent a long time hooked up to life support.
To be honest, the events of that time were hazy.
There was no telling if he had hit his head when he fell.
His memories were as foggy as if a mist had rolled in.
Even the things he did remember were blurry in sequence, with images mixed up like memories from early childhood.
“……I don’t know.”
When Haeram gave up after rolling his eyes to try and recall the memory, Seo Jungwoo let out a shallow sigh.
“That’s definitely all your money, Haeram.”
“Then…… does that mean…… I can actually use this money?”
“You can use it all. It’s all yours.”
“……All of it? Every bit?”
Haeram slumped back against the sofa cushions like an old man whose energy had been spent.
“Liar.”
“Why would I lie to you?”
“Whoa…….”
The tension he had held since first discovering those digits at the ATM melted away, and Haeram’s body felt like it was liquefying.
The countless assumptions and fantasies he had entertained for less than an hour turned into a jumbled mess in his head.
“Wait, Teacher. Then why didn’t you tell me? I almost died without ever spending it because I forgot!”
His overstimulated brain spat out a nonsensical resentment.
He immediately realized his mistake.
Seo Jungwoo frowned—a rare sight—and stared at Haeram.
Haeram waved his hands frantically in the air. It was an excuse to show he didn’t mean it that way.
‘Not much time left, living day to day, dying soon’… such words were forbidden in front of Seo Jungwoo, even as a joke.
During the first month of Mind Training, Haeram had talked about dying so much he almost got a swat on the behind; now that his guard was down, he had made a slip of the tongue again.
“……”
“I misspoke. I’m sorry…….”
“You know you shouldn’t tell even your family about a sudden fortune like this, right? Don’t tell anyone around you.”
As Haeram sheepishly glanced at him, Seo Jungwoo smiled as if giving in and offered the advice.
Haeram nodded along before asking:
“But Teacher, how did you know I had money?”
“……I was given various pieces of information about you, Haeram, since I have to conduct your Mind Training.”
“Ah, I see.”
Haeram looked down at their joined hands with a lingering sense of uncertainty.
‘I heard others don’t hold hands during Mind Training, so why do we?’
‘Lottery prizes these days are incredible. Ten billion won… I must have been incredibly lucky back then, even as a terminal patient. Was I the only first-prize winner that round for the prize to be this big?’
‘You’re not looking down on me just because I’m stuck in this hospital, are you?’
Many thoughts raced through his mind in a short moment, but Haeram couldn’t voice any of them.
He feared that the moment he questioned or interrogated Seo Jungwoo, the man would let go of his hand and vanish into that world of theirs that Haeram didn’t know.
“So, Haeram, what are you going to do with that money now?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking what you want to do.”
“Uh…….”
“Since you know you have it, you should spend it.”
Whether he knew what was going on in Haeram’s complicated mind or not, Seo Jungwoo met his gaze with eyes sparkling like polished onyx.
‘What would I do?’
As soon as he heard the question, Haeram thought of the modest bucket list taped to the drawer next to his bed.
The paper filled with wishes like ‘Eat Tteokbokki.’
With such a vast amount of money, he could now travel the world.
If he decided to spend it all in the short time he had left, he might even be able to fly around in a private jet.
If he went shopping, there was probably nothing he couldn’t buy…….
Perhaps he could even buy someone’s heart.
Though it was suspicious money whose true source was still unknown, he was a man with nothing left to fear.
To put it bluntly, even if a problem arose after he spent it all recklessly, what was there to be afraid of when his death was right around the corner?
Even if the money was tainted, the sin belonged to whoever put it in his account.
Having reached a simple conclusion, Haeram smiled brightly.
“I want to have a meal with you, Teacher. No, I want to buy you a wonderful dinner. At the most expensive restaurant in the capital—no, the most expensive one in the country.”
Haeram spoke, tightening his grip on their joined hands.
For a first wish from someone who had just come into a fortune while living a terminal life, it was modest and sweet.
At the groundless kindness directed toward him, Seo Jungwoo stared blankly at Haeram’s face, looking like someone who had lost his words.
No one could refuse a person with such sparkling eyes and a clear face smiling so widely that his canines showed.
Even if it were just a normal promise between ordinary people, it would be hard to decline.
How much more weight did a wish from the terminal Haeram carry?
Returning a flustered smile to the one waiting for an answer with round eyes, Seo Jungwoo replied with a voice full of laughter.
“Alright. Let’s go on a date. We’ll go somewhere wonderful.”
* * *
