Chapter 1. Regression

Childhood.

I thought I was special.

The reason was that I was quite smart. I did better in studies than others, and my grades were outstanding in the entire school.

Teachers and parents praised me, saying I could become someone great in the future, and I believed it too.

The day I was narrowly accepted into the Economics Department at Korea University.

The school hung banners, and my parents boasted about it to everyone in the neighborhood. I felt like I had the world in my hands.

It wasn't until I entered university that I realized it was an illusion.

Out of my high school, only two people were accepted into Korea University. But when I got there, everyone was a Korea University student.

Moreover, unlike me, who barely made it through the waiting list, some people were accepted as top or second-place students and received scholarships.

Think about it.

There are about 27,000 Korea University students, including graduate students. Korea University ranks around 60th globally, so there are at least 60 more universities like this. Plus, there are medical schools, law schools, and more.

Why are there so many smart people in the world?

More importantly, there are far more wealthy people.

In middle and high school, my friends' living standards were similar. But college was different.

Some drove Ferraris or Porsches, and some lived in apartments in Gangnam with a view of the Han River.

The reason was that they had money at home.

To surpass this, I had no choice but to work even harder.

I joined DA Securities right after graduation and took my first step into society with a resolve.

Although I'm just a new employee now, I will become the CEO of this company in 10 years!

Then, I will build a career and make a grand debut on the global stage! One day, I will become a renowned investor and start my own company!

I worked tirelessly, reducing my sleep time, studied hard, and obtained relevant certifications.

Ten years passed.

Ten years later.

I finally became a CEO.

"Boss! One spicy chicken and two glasses of draft beer, please."

"Sure thing!"

"Boss! I'm out of forks!"

"Got it. I'll be right there!"

...The owner of a neighborhood chicken shop.

* * *

My first company, DA Securities, went bankrupt due to mismanagement.

After that, I lived off part-time jobs. But with my family's situation worsening, I couldn't stay unemployed forever.

One day, a friend I lived with said to me,

"Let's open a chicken shop together."

His name is Kang Seon-woo.

We've been friends since middle school, and he graduated from Hyeast Electrical Engineering.

He worked as a developer at LB Studio, a game company, but after the company went bankrupt and was acquired, he became unemployed like me.

"What kind of chicken shop?"

Seon-woo said firmly,

"Think about it. No matter how the world changes, people will still order chicken, right?"

"Probably."

"You graduated from the Economics Department at Korea University, and I graduated from Hyeast Electrical Engineering. If we combine our efforts, the chicken can't be bad."

"..."

Is this a convincing argument?

Well, whether it's Korea University or Hyeast, whether it's humanities or science... the final destination is a chicken shop.

So, we opened a chicken shop together.

Seon-woo's judgment was accurate.

Even though the world had changed, people still ordered chicken.

* * *

Seon-woo, with his sharp mind, thoroughly analyzed the market and opened the chicken shop in a location he thought would be the most profitable.

Thanks to this, business was quite good.

But a problem arose.

The issue began with the price increases of raw materials like chicken, frying oil, and sauces. The headquarters cited rising costs, but there was another reason.

There is a company called JJ Trading that supplies materials to franchise stores.

It is an unlisted company run by the CEO's wife, and the prices jump by 50% when they pass through this company.

All they do is re-label the products. It's like creating something out of nothing.

This is possible because the headquarters has a near-monopoly in the chicken market.

"Does this make sense?"

"If it doesn't, what can we do?"

"Tell the truth."

Seon-woo quickly started analyzing the costs. He made a chart and posted it on the franchise owners' forum.

The franchise owners were furious and went to the headquarters to protest strongly.

However, the CEO not only refused to apologize but also assaulted the representative of the franchise owners during the meeting. The recording, which was made public, contained the sound of hitting and all sorts of profanity.

The most shocking part was that the person who recorded it was not the victim but one of the headquarters' employees.

This revealed how the CEO treated his employees.

The profanity was so extreme that it seemed impossible for a human to utter.

The recording first circulated on the internet and then made it to the 9 o'clock news. As public opinion turned negative, the prosecution announced they would investigate.

The CEO bowed at the photo line.

"I apologize to the nation for the trouble I have caused. I will cooperate fully with the investigation."

However, he did not apologize to the actual victims.

I muttered to myself while watching the news on the shop TV.

"He was like this 10 years ago, and he's still the same now. It's not easy for someone to be so consistent."

As they say, "Old habits die hard." About 10 years ago, a similar incident caused controversy, and this time it's the same.

Seon-woo clicked his tongue and said,

"Shouldn't that guy be arrested?"

"No way."

The leniency towards the crimes of the wealthy has been the same all along.

At best, he'll get a suspended sentence.

After the news, a strong boycott movement began.

Sales dropped by over 30% almost immediately. Even though the franchise owner was assaulted, the actual victims were the franchise owners.

I received a call from a former school and work senior.

Sure enough, he became unemployed after the securities company went bankrupt and is now living in Jeju Island.

[Did you see the news? Is the shop okay?]

"More or less."

Through the phone, I could hear his labored breathing. It seemed quite difficult for him to speak.

"How are you doing these days?"

[Same old. Come visit Jeju Island with a friend sometime.]

"Sure, senior. Take care of your health."

[You too. Take care.]

I sighed.

We only contact each other when something good happens, but since we're both struggling, there's not much reason to keep in touch.

Just as business was already bad, an unexpected person visited the shop near closing time.

He was in his early 40s, about 175 cm tall, broad-shouldered, and had a square jaw. His forehead was bald, and he wore glasses with gold frames.

It was the face I saw on the news earlier.

None other than the CEO of the franchise headquarters.

He asked us, who were taken aback,

"Did you post the cost analysis on the forum?"

Why are you speaking so informally?

Seon-woo nodded.

"Yes, it was us."

"If you have a problem with the prices, why didn't you talk about it? Why did you post it on the forum?"

"Ah! We did talk about it. We asked the headquarters several times, but they said there was no problem."

Seon-woo's answer made him sneer.

"Shit. You ungrateful bastards, who owe their living to me, are stabbing me in the back?"

I asked, bewildered.

"What did you just say?"

"Because of you, I had to go to the prosecutor's office. It's fucking ridiculous."

"Are you done talking?"

In a moment of anger, I clenched my fist and was about to step forward, but Seon-woo grabbed my hand. My fist was trembling.

The CEO, seeing this, sneered.

"Hey! You might hit me. If you want to hit me, go ahead. There's no law that says franchise owners can't hit the CEO."

I wanted to punch him, but that would be the end of everything.

He would become the victim, and we would have to close the shop.

I gritted my teeth and held back my anger.

The CEO patted my shoulder.

"There. You held back. If you have no money and no power, what can you do but hold back?"

He acted as if his bullying was justified. That's why he could assault the franchise owner and spew profanity without thinking of the consequences.

The CEO smiled bitterly.

"This is all because of you. Just wait and see what I'll do."

One month later.

We saw a three-story company-owned store across the street.

Seon-woo asked me,

"Hey, if the chicken shop goes bankrupt, what will we eat?"

"Shit."

* * *

After the company-owned store opened.

Orders plummeted, and the large dining area was empty.

Seon-woo, who was tapping the calculator, grabbed his head with both hands.

"I can't even pay the rent this month. Should I start delivering for other chicken shops?"

"The efforts of franchise owners can't overcome the bullying of the headquarters."

Even if no customers come, we can't just stop doing business.

Sitting in the empty shop, watching TV until closing time, a game ad came on.

Ten years is a long time.

During that period, many things happened in the world. New products and services were launched, and many things changed.

Especially in the gaming industry, there were significant changes.

Seon-woo sighed and said,

"Making VR games like that was my dream."

But in reality, we're making chicken.

Seon-woo, sighing deeply, asked me,

"By the way, what was your dream?"

"My dream?"

There was a time when I had dreams.

So, my dream was...

I chuckled.

"Who knows? I can't even remember."

Ding!

At that moment, the order bell rang.

"What order at this time? I should cancel it."

After checking the order slip, I told Seon-woo,

"Just take it. After delivering, let's go home on the motorcycle."

"Should we?"

What else can we do? We need to earn more money.

We still had some chicken left, and I didn't turn off one of the fryers just in case.

Seon-woo quickly fried the chicken and seasoned it. We loaded the packaged chicken onto the motorcycle.

I held the handlebars, and Seon-woo got on behind me.

The motorcycle sped through the alleys of the bustling city.

Despite the late hour, the streets were filled with young couples. Was everyone but me in a couple? When was the last time I broke up with a girlfriend?

Somehow, my 20s feel like a long time ago.

I thought back to when I first joined the securities company. Back then, I had the confidence that I could do anything and become anything.

My dream was to become a successful investor.

But my first company, DA Securities, went bankrupt and disappeared after just three years.

Sometimes, when I see news about "that incident," I wonder what the people I worked with are doing now.

If "that incident" hadn't happened, DA Securities wouldn't have gone bankrupt, and I would have continued working there.

Would things be different now?

The market is open to everyone, and opportunities are everywhere. Stocks, bonds, real estate, cryptocurrencies, and more. With good investments, you can turn a few hundred thousand won into a few hundred billion won in just a few months.

But seizing opportunities is also a skill.

The odds of winning the lottery are 1 in 8,145,060. While one person wins the jackpot, over 8 million people lose money.

For every star trader, hundreds of traders are fired, and while someone makes a huge profit, most investors lose their money and cry.

The time given to me has already passed, and I'm in my mid-30s. I have to accept it.

I'm not special at all.

The motorcycle emerged from the alley, and people stopped to look up at the sky.

Seon-woo said,

"Hey! It's a meteor."

I looked up slightly and saw a meteor with a long tail falling. Not just one, but several meteors adorned the night sky.

"By the way..."

I think I saw news that a meteor shower would fall today. It was said to be a once-in-a-century cosmic show.

"It's a shooting star!"

"Wow! It's beautiful!"

"Make a wish!"

People quickly clasped their hands and made wishes.

I chuckled to myself, looking at them. I'm too old to make wishes by looking at such things, right?

The motorcycle entered the main road after leaving the alley.

At that moment, a small dog ran onto the road from the opposite alley. It seems the owner let go of the leash while watching the meteor.

From the opposite direction, a large SUV was speeding towards us.

"Ah!"

It was too late to save the dog!

If this continues, the dog will be run over. A nearby couple screamed in shock.

Fortunately, the driver, realizing the situation, quickly switched off the autonomous driving mode, grabbed the steering wheel, and swerved. The large SUV narrowly missed the dog, as if performing a stunt.

"Phew!"

I realized it wasn't the time to cheer.

Why did it come this way?

Seon-woo shouted in surprise,

"Hey! Get out of the way! Turn the handlebars!"

"Wait, just a moment."

The dog is safe.

But I'm about to die!

Bang!

Before I could react, the large SUV hit us. The motorcycle shattered, and my body was thrown into the air.

For a moment, it felt like time slowed down, and I saw the meteor shower raining down like rain in the night sky.

They said it was a once-in-a-century cosmic show... It's a truly beautiful sight that I've never seen in my life.

It felt like I was floating in space.

Could I really die like this? Instead of the dog, I get hit by a car?

Looking back, my life was not special at all. I didn't achieve anything, and I didn't become anything.

The time that passed, the opportunities I missed, the relationships that didn't work out, the things I should have done and the things I shouldn't have done...

I should have worked harder, lived more interestingly, and even tried marriage like everyone else.

But it's all too late now.

If I had one more chance...

The body that had risen began to fall.