Chapter 4

4. Future Diary (2)

Yusejun's eyes narrowed. To his amazement, today's diary entry was already written. It was a phenomenon that defied common sense. If so, could this diary have come from the future?

Was an item from the future delivered to the present? It was a story that was hard to believe.

Yusejun clutched his head. But the reality was clear. It wasn't a dream.

"This can't be happening. Someone must be playing a trick."

Yusejun hastily flipped to the back of the diary. Not every day, but quite often, short notes about important events of the day were written. Most pages contained entries for multiple days. At a glance, there were mundane daily events, but also important events of the day and stock prices. Occasionally, there were mentions of things that were incomprehensible now. The last page of the first volume was dated December 31, 1996, covering a period of about 10 years.

He discovered a small envelope tucked into the last page of the diary.

"What's this?"

There was nothing written on the envelope. By the feel of it, there was clearly a letter inside. Though he was very curious about the contents of the letter, he reached for another diary before opening it.

Yusejun opened the second old diary. This diary started on January 1, 1997, and, like the first volume, contained entries for the next 10 years. The first page read...

*

Wednesday, January 1, 1997. I bought a second diary. It's the same as the old one. I feel good every time I open this diary... (omitted)

*

"New diaries every 10 years?"

Yusejun tilted his head and hastily opened another diary. The third diary, as expected, started in 2007 and covered a 10-year period, just like the second diary.

The three diaries were exact 10-year diaries, starting on March 1, 1987, and ending on December 31, 2016. By the dates alone, it really seemed to have come from the future. His vision blurred. He was scared.

He calmed his trembling hands and opened the envelope hidden in the first diary, taking out the letter. It was a brief diary-style letter written in 2027.

*

Friday, December 24, 2027.

Ah! It's all over. After the maturity date, the dollar skyrocketed, companies went bankrupt, and the streets are flooded with unemployed people. A second foreign exchange crisis, far worse than the last one, has arrived. How did Korea end up like this? If this continues, there will be no future for our country.

I've had a tumultuous life, but the result was failure. My abilities were lacking, but their attacks were too strong. The SJ Investment Finance I established couldn't withstand the attack of the international speculative capital, LTCM, in a wobbling capital market.

Realizing there was no way out, I planned to end my life today. Losing everything, my death wouldn't change anything.

Just before my suicide, I learned the true identity of LTCM from my close friend, Joo In-hyeok. The people I know who were involved with LTCM are Oh Do-wook, Shin Seon-young, Park Kang-soo, Song Ye-eun, and Kwon Dae-man—five people in total. Shockingly, they became the lackeys of international speculative capital and destroyed the country. I learned the true reason for the ruin of my life and the country's fate. I can't irresponsibly end my life in this situation.

My diary, which contains important information about my life, consists of four volumes. The really important things start now. Everything depends on this diary. If this plan succeeds, I will live a completely different life, and the fate of our country will change. I hope Joo In-hyeok's plan succeeds.

*

LTCM? SJ Investment Finance?

It was completely incomprehensible. 2027 was 40 years from now, when he would be 59 years old. If so, did his 59-year-old self write this last diary entry just before committing suicide? Why did such a diary suddenly appear here? And where was the fourth diary?

Suddenly, he focused on the names that appeared at the beginning and end of the diaries. Joo In-hyeok? From the two contents, he inferred that Joo In-hyeok was his roommate in the physics department at Seoul National University. This meant that Joo In-hyeok remained his friend until he was sixty. In other words, a friend who spent more time with him than even a spouse.

If this diary really came from the future, the biggest variable affecting his life was Joo In-hyeok.

**

The university entrance ceremony was unremarkable. Unlike the solemn high school entrance ceremony, the university's was not. It was all about listening to the president's speech and singing the school song after the national anthem in the stadium without even lining up.

The place was as chaotic as a market, with many students and parents. Seeing the still youthful freshmen, he realized he was now a part of this school.

Yusejun was disappointed that his parents couldn't come. They were busy with their business in a distant region, making it practically impossible to travel to Seoul for the ceremony. Until now, he had always attended ceremonies with his parents, but this time he was alone. He accepted it calmly, thinking he would have to do many things alone from now on.

After the ceremony, he went to the department office to fill out and submit the admission documents, including personal information. After writing diligently, referring to a colleague's document, he couldn't see the person in charge.

Yusejun waited. He thought the person might have gone to the bathroom.

"Where did the person who was here go?"

He asked the assistant. The assistant casually replied.

"He just stepped out, so he'll be back soon."

Typical of civil servants. Suddenly, Yusejun recalled the content written in the diary. Could what was written there be true? Would the person in charge not appear for an hour? Would he miss out on the special meal, the cutlet?

The sudden anxiety about possibly missing the cutlet made him restless.

Yusejun looked at his colleague. As expected, the freshmen were obediently waiting.

According to the diary, it would be better to eat lunch first and then come back to submit the documents. That way, he could eat the cutlet! But it would be strange for him to leave alone. He also wanted to verify if the diary's content was correct.

"Alright!"

He clenched his fist.

Time passed. It was almost 1 PM when the person in charge returned. People need to eat, after all. Though it wasn't a wrong statement, he couldn't complain as a freshman.

He quickly submitted the documents and ran to the dormitory. He felt his cutlet was about to disappear.

"Huff, huff, but if I ran, the cutlet should still be there."

The dormitory dining hall was crowded with students lining up. Since it was the first day, most dormitory residents seemed to have gathered for the special meal.

He craned his neck to look at the front of the line. Students were divided into two lines, one for the cutlet and one for the regular meal.

"Is it safe? The diary can't be trusted, after all."

When there were only a few students left in front of him, a nutritionist in a white coat appeared.

The moment he saw her, she said something surprising.

"The cutlets are all gone. From here on, only the regular meal is available. I'm sorry, but I misjudged the quantity for the first day."

"Ah..."

Yusejun was devastated.

Yusejun's attention soon shifted elsewhere.

Would his roommate be Joo In-hyeok? If Joo In-hyeok became his roommate tonight, he would have to believe the diary.

A chill ran through his body. Could this really be an item from the future? Wasn't it just a prank? Unbelievable things were happening to him.

Yusejun waited calmly in the dormitory. Confirming his roommate was important.

8 PM.

Still, no one had come. If he had participated in the entrance ceremony normally, he should have returned to the dormitory by now, even with other schedules.

He looked at the empty space across from him, his heart racing. His mouth was dry.

Around 10 PM.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a student entered.

He was of average height, slightly shorter than Yusejun. He wore a light T-shirt and jeans, looking free and easy. He had slightly curly hair and wore white metal-rimmed glasses, with a smiling face. He looked ordinary but quite smart, a city-type, the opposite of Yusejun, who gave a somewhat large and rustic impression.

Yusejun stood up without realizing it.

The other student approached and extended his hand.

"Hey, roommate? I'm Joo In-hyeok."

'Whoa! Joo In-hyeok!'

For a moment, Yusejun's vision went dark. It was real. The content in the diary was true.

Joo In-hyeok withdrew his hand, looking puzzled at Yusejun's dazed expression.

"Huh? Is something wrong? Did you retake the exam?"

"No, I'm Yusejun."

Yusejun formally introduced himself.

Their hands met. The warmth of the other's hand was the first sensation Yusejun felt.

"What's your major?"

Joo In-hyeok asked. To Yusejun, he seemed bright and cheerful, with good social skills. That's why he approached first.

"I'm in philosophy."

"Interesting. I'm in physics."

Yusejun's mouth dropped open. It was exactly as written in the diary. The roommate standing in front of him had the same name and major as in the diary. He felt cold sweat running down his back.

"Why are you like that?"

Joo In-hyeok tilted his head, sensing something was off.

Yusejun shook his head.

"No, no. I'm from Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do. Where are you from?"

Joo In-hyeok was from Busan. His accent occasionally mixed in with the strong Gyeongsang-do dialect. He was, in a way, the eldest son of an ordinary family. He said he came to Seoul now because of family matters, which is why he missed the entrance ceremony.

Yusejun helped him organize his belongings.

"Physics, huh? You must have been a top student."

At that time, the majors with the highest cut-off scores were economics for the humanities and electronics and physics for the sciences.

Joo In-hyeok answered while unpacking his luggage on his bed.

"Not really. I wasn't very interested in what I learned in school."

"But you must have scored well to get in, right?"

"Guess so."

Joo In-hyeok's casual response was intriguing.

Yusejun pressed further.

"What did you score?"

"330."

The answer came without hesitation. The full score for the college entrance exam was 340, and the top scorer in the natural sciences this year was 332. Missing just 2 points, it was likely a top national score.

Yusejun was amazed. Joo In-hyeok's next words made him even more astonished.

"But, I didn't do well on the physical fitness test. I had an appendectomy two days before the exam."

The physical fitness test was worth 20 points in the college entrance exam. The written test was out of 320 points. Most students scored full marks in the physical fitness test, and just attending got you 14 points. Saying he had an appendectomy two days before the exam meant he likely only got the attendance points. In other words, if only the written test was considered, Joo In-hyeok was essentially the top scorer in the country.

Joo In-hyeok patted Yusejun's shoulder, seeing his slightly dazed expression.

"What's the big deal? Help me with this."

Joo In-hyeok's first impression was that of a carefree guy, somewhat four-dimensional in his thinking.

His actions were not ordinary. His tone and interests were unique.

The Joo In-hyeok standing in front of him was a genius. Yusejun noticed that Joo In-hyeok's name was mentioned in the diary's letter. Since he was in philosophy, it was unlikely he had the skills to send the diary to the present, so it was highly probable that Joo In-hyeok was behind this. Probably the plan mentioned at the end of the letter.

What exactly would this Joo In-hyeok do in the future? If so, it meant he hoped the diary would help both of them, and perhaps even the country.

Yusejun pondered whether to tell Joo In-hyeok about the diary. After a moment, he shook his head. He thought he would eventually have to tell him, but not yet. He needed to study the diary more and observe Joo In-hyeok.

Joo In-hyeok took a book out of his bag and handed it to Yusejun.

"Could you put this on the bookshelf?"

Yusejun took the book, his eyes widening.

Surprisingly, the covers of both books were in English, meaning they were original English editions. He managed to read the titles: Stephen Hawking's 'A Brief History of Time' and George Gamow's 'The First Three Minutes.' Both were books on astrophysics that explained the creation of the universe through the Big Bang, topics unrelated to his humanities background.

"Interesting books, huh?"

Yusejun asked casually, and Joo In-hyeok smiled.

"Interesting to me. Others were shocked. It's a basic science book, and the authors are scientists I admire."

A sudden question came to Yusejun.

"Do you think time travel is possible?"

Joo In-hyeok's eyes scanned his face. It seemed to be an unexpected question.

"Huh? You're interested too? No one can say for sure, but according to Dr. Hawking, it might be possible to travel through spacetime via white holes, wormholes, and black holes in the distant future."

The conversation ended there.

Yusejun couldn't sleep that night. The content of the diary, which seemed magical, had become reality. According to the diary, his future ended in suicide.

At this point, he had one thing to think about. Why his future self sent the diary to his present self could be considered later. More importantly, how to use the diary wisely was the immediate concern.