Because Something absurd is unfolding before my eyes.
[Kim Han-ok]
Age: 55
Occupation: Wife of a tenant farmer
Reliability: 99/100
Traits: Innocence
Chance of Success in Life: 5% (?)
Special Note: One of the many mothers of this era, with a 51% chance of becoming the mother of a great revolutionary or a wealthy capitalist in the future.
This strange, translucent text appeared above my mother's head.
'What is this? A manual? A status window?'
Whatever it was, it started appearing after I recovered from that fever.I must've gained this ability because I was reincarnated into a parallel world.
'I hope this will be useful.'
Soon, these floating words began to appear above other people's heads as well.Of course, since this was a small rural village in Miryang, most people didn't have any special descriptions.
'Wait, mother of a great revolutionary?'Does that mean I'm the revolutionary?No way. I decided to become a tycoon, not a revolutionary.
'That must be a typo!'
Then I looked up at the words above my three older brothers.Maybe one of them would become great?Unlikely. My brothers were just as poor and ordinary as me.Still, I couldn't deny — these words might be useful someday.
But even with this mysterious gift, my life didn't suddenly change.
Our family was still painfully poor.Until I turned fifteen, I helped my father weed fields, spread manure, and harvest crops for other people — barely surviving day by day.
'If things go on like this, there'll be no progress at all!'
This wasn't living. It was enduring.A life without choice — one lived simply because I couldn't afford to die.
'What should I do?'
March 1, 1940 — Morning
Just as our people once shouted "Long Live Korean Independence" in 1919, I made a declaration of my own that day.At age fifteen, I declared independence from my father.
'There's no future in Miryang.'
If I stayed here, I'd die a tenant farmer like him.Or worse — I'd be drafted as a student soldier and sent to die on some battlefield in Manchuria or Saipan.That was not the life I wanted.
So I made my choice.
"I'm going to Gyeongseong."
My father froze. He was a man who believed farming was destiny.Diligent, yes. But bound by ignorance and fear.He worked tirelessly for us — even when he couldn't feed us three full meals a day.A man like that deserved respect.
But respect wouldn't change the future.
[Kang Deok-woo]
Age: 58
Occupation: Japanese tenant farmer
Reliability: 92%
Traits: Ignorance, Incompetence, Responsibility
Chance of Success in Life: 15% (?)
Special Note: Lived a long, uneventful life as a poor farmer.
The same glowing words floated above my father's head.
'And those question marks… what do they mean?'
My mother had one. My father too. Even my second brother, Kang-san.It was as if fate itself doubted their future.
'And me?'
I couldn't see my own text — not even in a mirror.But with this new power, I could see people's fates.I could tell who was dangerous, who was a liar, who had potential.
And then I found something shocking.
'Mr. Choi?'The man everyone thought was kind — was actually a Japanese spy.
'So that's how the world works. You really can't trust appearances.'
[At the crossroads of life, you chose the path of suffering.]
A message only I could hear echoed in my head.
'The path of suffering, huh…'If hardship leads to opportunity, then I'll endure it all.
"Yes. I'm going to Gyeongseong, no matter what."
My father frowned deeply. "Cheol, what will you even do there?"
"I'll become rich."
"What? Rich?" He almost laughed. "Don't talk nonsense."
"There's no law that says I can't be rich."
I quoted an old saying:"When a person is born, send him to Hanyang; when a horse is born, send it to Jeju.""I'll go to Gyeongseong. I can't breathe here anymore."
He sighed. "You're smart, son — everyone knows that. But Gyeongseong is full of men smarter than you."
"Still, I'll go. And I'll become rich."
"Anyone can say that. But what do you have that'll make you rich?"
He was right.To become rich, one needs information, connections, and capital.Miss even one, and you'll fail.
But I had something better — knowledge of the future.
Still, it was a dangerous time.To build wealth now, one either had to serve Japan… or spy for them.Neither appealed to me.
Five years remained until Korea's liberation.Even after independence, the pro-Japanese would still live comfortably.But I — I wanted to become a rich man with honor.
'The youngest son of a poor tenant farmer… I'll have to build everything from scratch.'
"I'm going to Gyeongseong to make money," I said. "If I start something, maybe everything will change."
I was determined. Even without a single coin, I'd carve my path forward with my memories of the future.
"These are turbulent times," I thought. "And chaos always brings opportunity."
My father snapped."Enough nonsense! Who'll work the fields if you leave? You think life's easy in the city?"
"You still have three sons," I said calmly."The eldest has no ambition. The second is too honest. The third's a thug. That leaves me."
No one had ever defied him before.But someone had to break the cycle.
'This is why the poor must study,' I realized.'Education is the only ladder out of poverty.'
But even that ladder didn't exist for me.
Still, I didn't waste my 15 years.I learned Japanese. I spoke English. I mastered the abacus — a small skill, but one day it might matter.
Even with only an elementary education, I'd learned more than most.
"Absolutely not!" my father shouted. "If you can eat, don't dream foolish dreams! Farm, and you'll never starve!"
I understood him.He'd lived a life where even rice was a luxury.For him, survival was enough.
But for me — it wasn't.
"I'm still going."
Once I make a decision, I act.Fifteen years already wasted — no more.
"Has this boy gone mad?" my father roared, glaring at me.
But I didn't waver.
Because this time, I wasn't living just to survive.I was living to build an empire.
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English and Korean are not my first languages, so I'm doing my best to write and share this story with you.Thank you so much for reading and supporting my novel — your feedback and encouragement mean the world to me! 🙏