Chapter 2

Every time I passed by here, I would open the window and enjoy the scent of the sea breeze—it was quite a pleasant time.

The driver glanced at me in the mirror and spoke softly.

"Mr. Chairman, don't you think it's time to stop going on long voyages? You're getting on in years..."

"Well, an old man like me should just die when he gets old."

"Ah, that's not what I meant. I'm sorry, Mr. Chairman."

"Hehehe. Just a joke. I understand your concern."

I smiled slightly at him through the mirror.

The driver let out a slight sigh of relief when he saw me smiling in the rearview mirror.

"And the scholarship you mentioned, I've managed to deliver it to everyone, including the last person."

"Oh? That's good. Thank you."

"Yes, so now you can finally put that burden down."

"Burden...?"

"Yes, the collapse of Hae Shin Shipping wasn't your fault, was it?"

Hae Shin Shipping.

One of the top five global shipping companies, always among the top ten.

Hae Shin Shipping was the leading national shipping company in South Korea.

Since its founding, it had always been the largest logistics company in the country and a globally recognized top ten shipping company.

Too big to fail.

There used to be a saying in the Korean economic community.

In the past, people believed it like a superstition and used it often, but now it's rarely used.

Hae Shin Shipping, the largest shipping company among national shipping companies, ultimately went bankrupt due to the economic downturn that began with the financial crisis.

Many people lost their jobs in the process.

I was one of those who left Hae Shin Shipping at that time.

It was like a bolt from the blue. After leaving Hae Shin Shipping, I started a small shipping company with my colleagues.

Someone once said,

The world outside the company is a battlefield.

The world outside a large corporation is indeed a battlefield.

We were soldiers unprepared for war.

It was like giving a rifle to a naval sailor working on a submarine and sending him to a land battlefield.

In the end, we went bankrupt again.

The later years of my colleagues who started the company with me were miserable.

Some became credit defaulters, some struggled to make ends meet and died of alcoholism, and others got into gambling and couldn't pay off their debts, borrowing from loan sharks and ultimately ending their lives.

The memories of that time were a nightmare.

I agonized dozens of times during those desperate moments.

But I survived stubbornly.

I endured and endured.

It was around that time that I first boarded a long-distance fishing vessel.

Third Officer Jang Bogo

I started working on long-distance fishing vessels without a break and managed to save some seed money, which I used to start a business again.

As time passed, I became quite adept at business.

Or rather, I became a lucky man. I succeeded in real estate business. My success in business was more due to luck than my own ability.

In any case, I am now a self-made businessman in Busan, known for my success.

Now, I can pass the company to my son and enjoy a peaceful retirement.

But sometimes, the nightmare of Hae Shin Shipping's bankruptcy still haunts me in my dreams.

The faces of my colleagues, with whom I worked hard and shared laughter and tears in my youth, still linger in my mind.

That's when I started boarding long-distance fishing vessels again, even at my late age.

Boarding long-distance fishing vessels was my way of atoning for the loss of those who left before me.

'Well, doing this won't bring them back to life...'

Perhaps it's time to stop this pointless act.

I might be doing this futile act to put down my mental burden.

'Well, it's time to stop.'

Squeal!

The sound of sudden braking and the driver's urgent voice.

"Mr. Chairman! Be careful. Hold on tight!"

He looked panicked.

I saw a large truck rushing towards us head-on.

The driver tried to swerve the car, but there seemed to be no way to avoid the truck that suddenly invaded the center line and charged at us.

All of this happened in slow motion before my eyes.

Squeal!

Bang!

With a loud impact, the large truck carrying containers was right in front of me.

The headlights of the truck shone blindingly in my eyes.

'Am I going to die like this?'

Memories of my past life flashed by like a slideshow.

The past, where I struggled to achieve success, seemed somewhat regrettable.

No, I had made enough money, but the dreams I had in my youth seemed unfulfilled and disappointing.

Suddenly, the nightmare of Hae Shin Shipping's bankruptcy flashed through my mind again.

< Ring! >

Was it because death was approaching?

Strange characters began to appear in my blurred vision, accompanied by a ringing sound.

+

<You have been selected as a Reincarnator for the Ship King Quest.>

You, who have lived a life filled with regrets, have been selected as a Reincarnator.

Special Benefits: Reincarnation, Quest, Status Window, Level Up

Main Quest: "Become the Ship King"

Clear Condition: Obtain the title of Ship King

+

You are going back in time.

What? What's this? What is this?

My consciousness began to fade.

* * *

Slap! Slap!

"Hey! Hey! Third Officer! Wake up!"

Slap! Slap!

"Damn, this guy is really out of it."

Someone was slapping my cheeks. It was a man with a good hand, slapping me quite firmly.

'What the...?'

I was still half-asleep, and the pain in my cheeks was quite unpleasant.

But to slap an old man, a chairman, like this?

I opened my eyes wide.

'What the...?'

I saw a man slapping my cheeks fiercely.

He looked very young.

"Stop it!"

I shouted loudly and jumped up from my seat.

"Hehehe. What a funny guy! Just because I use honorifics, you think you can use informal speech?"

The man in front of me laughed heartily and raised his hand high.

"Smack!"

The man, who had pretended to hit me, lightly tapped the back of my head.

"Snap out of it, Third Officer!"

Third Officer? Third Officer? Third Officer Jang Bogo!

Yes, I had worked as a Third Officer at Hae Shin Shipping after graduating from a maritime university.

'But what the hell is this? Where am I?'

The place where I regained consciousness was unfamiliar but somehow familiar.

It wasn't quite like a home.

I got up and looked around. The room came into view.

Memories of the past began to surface.

A metal room.

A desk and furniture with legs fixed to the floor to prevent them from moving.

A slightly sticky oil smell in the air.

A faint humming sound in my ears.

Rumble.

It was the sound of a ship's engine.

Yes, this was a cabin on a ship.

And the man tapping my cheeks.

I immediately recognized him.

A familiar face appeared.

He looked very young, but I easily recognized who he was.

Kim Ho-yeong.

This was Kim Ho-yeong, the Second Officer on the ship 'M.V. Venus' where I served as a Third Officer.

Kim Ho-yeong was my senior from the same maritime navigation department at university.

We had been in the same Taekwondo club during college and ended up on the same ship by chance.

He was a good senior who took care of and helped me, a naive Third Officer.

After Hae Shin Shipping went bankrupt, I only heard from him occasionally and never had the chance to see him face-to-face.

Tears welled up in my eyes from the joy of seeing him again.

"Old age makes you cry more, they say."

I muttered something strange without realizing it.

"What? What's wrong with this crazy guy? What's he saying?"

"Bro, am I young? Hehehe."

I laughed foolishly.

Tears trickled down my eyes.

"What, what's wrong with this crazy guy? Why are you acting so weird after waking up?"

Kim Ho-yeong took a step back, startled by my red-rimmed eyes.

"Bro, it's been a long time, let's hug."

I opened my arms and approached him.

"Long time? Hey, you crazy guy, get away! Get away!"

Kim Ho-yeong pushed me back forcefully with both hands, but I held on and hugged him tightly.

"You're so creepy!"

"Why?"

"Stop talking nonsense and get ready!"

"Get ready?"

"Yes, get ready and go to the bridge. The First Officer is waiting."

"First Officer?"

"Yes, that bear! You know he'll call me if you don't come on time!"

I remembered the face of the First Officer, known as a 'bear' because he never let go of his target once he bit down.

He had been tormenting me non-stop since I first boarded the ship.

But now, it didn't feel so bad.

'At least it's nice to see him again.'

In the past, I never wanted to see him, but now, even the notorious bear First Officer felt welcoming.

"Hey! Get up and get ready! The bear said you're not coming up, so I had to wake up too. I'll go up later, slowly."