Chapter 2

Chapter 1.

Once Again, Seong Hyun-woo.

Seong Hyun-woo stretched his arms out wide, feeling the morning sunlight.

It felt refreshing.

His head seemed clearer than usual.

“What time is it?”

He had just opened his eyes.

Something sharp, like a flash of light, grazed his mind.

'Future Hotel', 'Traffic Accident', 'Rebirth Truck'

Seong Hyun-woo's body stiffened instantly.

His eyes, which had been trying to adjust to the sunlight, closed again.

If this memory was real, he should be in a hospital room.

At that moment, a dizzying sensation and the sound of people screaming brushed past his ears.

The feeling of a truck hitting his body and the extreme pain of his bones breaking seemed to course through every nerve in his body.

Seong Hyun-woo trembled and endured that moment.

After a while, the sensation of being electrocuted faded, and he cautiously lowered his arm.

He felt no pain.

He touched his legs.

Both legs were intact.

He felt no bandages on his body.

Only then did Seong Hyun-woo open his eyes.

He carefully looked around.

His eyes, which had gradually widened, began to fill with confusion.

"Where am I?"

If his memory was correct, he should be in a hospital.

In reality, he should be in a hospital.

But it was his room.

The very same room he used during his college days.

"Am I dead?"

Seong Hyun-woo pinched his cheek.

"Ouch!"

It hurt.

His entire face felt numb.

He slowly got up and started to look around.

He noticed the textbooks he used in his senior year.

But he had already given them to a junior after getting a job.

Then something caught his eye.

It was an instant photo taken with his friends just before graduation.

The expressions and poses looked carefree, as if they were still college students.

But looking at it, he felt more strange than happy.

"Why is this so vivid? But where is my phone...?"

At that moment,

The door opened with a bang, and someone came in.

"Hyun-woo, are you up?"

It was his mother.

Seong Hyun-woo froze instantly.

His mother had passed away the year he turned thirty.

She was always a source of longing and sorrow.

And now, she was right in front of him.

"Mom?"

"Why are you like this? Are you still half-asleep?"

His mother pinched his cheek.

It hurt more than before.

But it still didn't feel real.

"Mom, why are you here? Is this heaven?"

"What? Heaven? Are you still half-asleep? You didn't even talk in your sleep when you were little. Oh, you rascal!"

His mother smacked him.

Zap!

It felt like his back was on fire.

"Ouch!"

He snapped to attention.

But it still felt like a dream.

Then, a word reached his ears.

'Success'

Seong Hyun-woo looked at his mother.

His mother wasn't the type to mumble.

Indeed, her eyes and mouth were saying, "What are you doing, not even washing your face?"

"Mom, did you say 'success'?"

"Success? Yeah, you should try to be successful today. You need to get rid of your habit of lingering in bed."

Suddenly, his mother's arm rose again, and Seong Hyun-woo instinctively ran.

This was a habit he had developed over twenty years.

But the room was too small.

Zap!

His mother's smack was even stronger this time.

It felt like a fire alarm went off on his back.

"Ouch!"

Seong Hyun-woo winced and spoke.

"Mom, is something happening today?"

"Suddenly being so formal? You're really still half-asleep."

"No, that's not it."

"Quick, get up and have breakfast. We're going to Pyeongchang-dong today, remember?"

"Oh!"

"I've been telling you for a month, and you forgot? You should really cut down on drinking."

"…Yes."

"But what's that on the bed? Do I have to look at a college student's things at my age?"

Seong Hyun-woo's eyes darted to the bed.

A bundle of white tissues on the bed.

Seong Hyun-woo lunged and covered them.

"Are you going to use these like this?"

His mother turned around, but couldn't leave the room.

"Mom!"

Seong Hyun-woo had grabbed her from behind.

"Why are you acting so weird? If you're asking me to clean your room, I'll die!"

His mother tried to shake off his hand.

But after a moment, she held his hand.

His tears, which had started to flow, made her shoulder wet.

After a while, his mother patted his hand and spoke.

Her tone was filled with concern for her son, not the playful scolding from before.

"Don't be too nervous in front of Grandpa today. He's kind to his grandchildren, so he'll be kind to you too."

"Mom."

"I'm sorry for making you meet Grandpa so late. I'm so sorry, I don't know what to say."

After comforting her son, his mother left the room.

Seong Hyun-woo stared at the door for a long time.

He touched his back.

It still felt numb.

He could still feel his mother's breath in the room.

This was definitely not a dream.

But his mother, who had passed away, was here.

She even mentioned meeting Grandpa.

At that moment, a voice caught his attention.

It was his father's voice, still young and full of energy.

"Hyun-woo, are you up? Hurry up and get ready."

"You should hurry too. You're still in your pajamas, so who are you telling to hurry?"

His mother's scolding followed.

Seong Hyun-woo realized.

This was reality.

The truck that hit him was a rebirth truck.

"I thought this only happened in novels..."

He slowly looked around.

The wallpaper, the bedding, the items on the desk, the clothes in the closet—all from his senior year in college.

He looked at the side table next to the bed.

He saw a small phone he used back then.

Then something caught his eye.

It was the wallet his mother had given him as a graduation gift.

He had held it close to his heart and cried for a long time after she passed away.

It was the only thing that reminded him of his mother, even in his forties.

Seong Hyun-woo caressed the wallet, which was still in good condition.

He didn't want to cry over this small thing again.

But the memories, which felt more real than ever, soon became his reality.

"Hyun-woo, are you going to stay there all day?"

"Yes! I'm going to take a shower."

* * *

Seong Hyun-woo took a spoonful of stew and looked at his parents.

Before he died, his father was a self-proclaimed elderly man living alone in Jeju Island.

But now, he was a handsome man in his fifties.

His mother was scolding his father for not eating the stew she had prepared.

"You're completely ignoring the person who cooked! I made this stew this morning, and you haven't even touched it?"

"You can eat it now, can't you?"

"And this mackerel is Hyun-woo's favorite. Why did you put it in front of yourself?"

His father, who had only used his chopsticks twice, had the mackerel taken away.

But his father just smiled, knowing his mother was trying to ease the tension.

Or perhaps, he felt infinite gratitude towards his mother.

Because the most nervous person at this moment was his mother.

It was her first time meeting her father-in-law.

Seong Hyun-woo thought about his past life.

Back then, he was so focused on what was to come that he found his mother's overreaction annoying.

He couldn't understand why his father tolerated her behavior.

"I was immature."

Seong Hyun-woo unconsciously criticized his past self.

But his mother seemed to have heard him.

"Look! Even your son says you're immature! Eat something else besides the mackerel."

His mother placed some rice cakes in front of his father.

It was his father's favorite breakfast, especially on a tense day like today.

His father silently put the rice cakes in his mouth.

Seong Hyun-woo finished his breakfast with the warm rice and mackerel his mother had prepared.

After that, his father picked up the newspaper, and his mother went to the beauty salon.

Seong Hyun-woo looked around the living room.

A 55-pyeong apartment in Gangnam, Seoul.

A place that most people would consider luxurious.

But compared to the mansion in Pyeongchang-dong, it was just a wing.

However, it was filled with the warmth and happiness of a family, something the mansion in Pyeongchang-dong lacked.

Seong Hyun-woo looked at his father's back.

He was pretending to focus on the newspaper, but he was clearly nervous.

But he must have been hoping for the family to be recognized.

Seong Hyun-woo thought about his father in his past life, who had grown old alone in Jeju Island.

He decided to maintain this happiness.

To fulfill his father's hope.

To prevent his father from feeling the humiliation and anger he had experienced from his grandfather, uncle, and aunt.

Seong Hyun-woo's breathing grew louder.

His father turned around.

"Are you nervous?"

"No... no."

"It's just that I disappointed him, but Grandpa isn't that scary. You don't need to worry."

"Yes, I'll go get ready."

* * *

Seong Hyun-woo put on a suit and looked at himself in the mirror.

At 26, he looked like a college senior.

"I looked pretty good back then."

He smiled, but then thought about his grandfather from his past life.

His grandfather had given him a cold look despite his forced smile.

And in just a few words, he had decided everything, making the month of tension seem meaningless.

"From that moment on, I was wrong. Not knowing Grandpa well and reacting poorly twisted my entire life."

Even just a moment ago, his father and mother had said Grandpa wasn't scary.

They had said the same thing in his past life.

But as the chairman of Future Group, Grandpa disliked lies and inaccurate statements when dealing with family.

So, he probably didn't consider them family from the start.

"That's why I couldn't escape the stigma of being an illegitimate child. But why did Grandpa treat Mom, who was innocent, so...?"

Seong Hyun-woo's eyes flashed with anger.

No one from Future Group, including his grandfather, had attended his mother's funeral.

And even until his own death, his father had pretended not to know.

Even though his father had remarried without Grandpa's permission.

Even though he had gotten pregnant before the remarriage, which was considered scandalous from Grandpa's perspective.

His father and mother were not unfaithful.

And he was not an illegitimate child.

But the word "illegitimate" had followed him throughout his life.

Naturally, Future Group had ignored him and his father.

In contrast, his cousins had inherited the subsidiaries and thrived.

If he hadn't had the "illegitimate" label, he wouldn't have been ignored like in his past life.

He could have inherited the hotel after turning it into a profitable business.

At that moment, Future Group from his past life came to mind.

Future Group had maintained a position in the top 30 of the business world from his past life until his death.

They had tried hard to enter the top 20, but lacked the strong political connections, absolute position in the business world, and public trust.

Most importantly, they lacked the adventurous spirit to start new businesses, the foresight to see the future, and the financial strength to support them.

But the hotel had excellent cash mobilization capabilities.

It was also easier to launder money compared to other subsidiaries.

The people who came and went were unique.

It was the best place for confidential conversations and improving the group's image through various domestic and international events.

This was why large corporations owned hotels.

Seong Hyun-woo's eyes sparkled.

"I need to make the hotel mine first."

At that moment, his mother's voice rang out.

"Hyun-woo, are you not ready yet?"

"I'm going."

Seong Hyun-woo went to the living room.

He saw his parents, dressed neatly.

His eyes met his father's.

Suddenly, he felt a buzzing in his ears and heard a word.

'Confidence'

Seong Hyun-woo looked at his father again.

He heard the same word.

Seong Hyun-woo nodded and left the house.