Min-Ho came along with Yun-ji to 'Fortune'
It was the first time Won-Shik had seen both friends together since their renovation proposal.
He greeted Min-Ho warmly.
"So, the artist has become an investor now?"
Min-Ho laughed.
"Apparently."
Yun-ji gave her a look.
"Don't make it sound frightening."
Won-Shik smiled.
"Investing isn't frightening if you understand the basics."
He began with the simplest concepts.
"What is a share?"
"A small ownership portion of a company."
"Why does the price change?"
"Because buyers and sellers constantly change their expectations about the company's future."
He explained the difference between investing and short-term trading.
He explained why a good company could still be a bad investment if bought at an unreasonable price.
He taught them about revenue, profit, debt, business growth, valuation, and risk.
Most importantly, he taught them not to put all their money into one company.
Min-Ho listened carefully, occasionally writing notes.
Yun-ji listened even more carefully.
For her, every lesson filled a gap she hadn't realized existed.
Her previous-life memories had given her information.
They had not given her understanding.
She had remembered the destination.
Won-Shik was teaching her how to travel there safely.
After several sessions, Won-Shik suggested that they begin with a small portfolio.
"Don't invest everything at once."
He opened a list of companies they had researched together.
"Choose businesses you understand."
"Look at their fundamentals."
"And think long term."
Yun-ji nodded.
"What do you recommend?"
"I'll teach you how to decide."
He pointed toward the screen.
"But I won't make the decision for you."
Yun-ji studied the information carefully.
For the first time, she wasn't simply remembering a company from her previous life.
She was examining it herself.
Its profits.
Its growth.
Its debt.
Its future plans.
She slowly began to understand why Won-Shik considered it promising.
"Now I understand," she said.
Won-Shik smiled.
"Good."
"Your previous investment may have been successful because of your luck."
"But your next one should be successful because of your knowledge."
Yun-ji smiled.
That sentence stayed with her.
A few days later, Yun-ji and Min-Ho made their first proper investment together.
They didn't use all of Min-Ho's painting income.
They kept a portion safely aside.
The rest was divided among several carefully selected companies.
It wasn't a huge investment by wealthy people's standards.
But to Min-Ho, it felt enormous.
She looked at the confirmation on her phone.
"That's it?"
Yun-ji nodded.
"We're investors now."
Min-Ho laughed.
"That sounds important."
"It is."
Yun-ji looked at her.
"But remember something."
"What?"
"This money came from your painting."
"You earned it."
"So whatever happens next, don't forget that."
Min-Ho smiled.
"I won't."
She looked down at her hands.
Those same hands had once struggled to hold a paintbrush because of weakness and exhaustion.
Now they had created a painting valuable enough for a wealthy collector to purchase.
And the money from that painting had become the first step toward something bigger.
A painting business.
A future laboratory.
Financial independence.
A life they could control themselves.
Yun-ji looked at the investment screen one more time.
She knew this was only the beginning.
Her memories had given her the first opportunity.
But this time, she would build the future with knowledge.
Beside her, Min-Ho smiled.
For the first time, the money she had earned from her art did not simply feel like wealth.
It felt like freedom.
Days passed quietly, but the house beside the Choi Residence was slowly losing its old, forgotten appearance.
Every morning, workers arrived early and stayed until evening. The sound of hammers, drills, and moving materials filled the once-silent property. The old walls were being repaired, damaged windows were being replaced, and the neglected garden was slowly being cleared.
Yun-ji often stood near her bedroom window and watched the progress.
The house no longer looked abandoned.
It was beginning to look alive.
The renovation team had already started working on the rooms that would become the most important parts of the house.
The basement was being prepared for Yun-ji's future laboratory.
The eastern room on the upper floor had been chosen as Min-Ho's painting room.
The windows were being enlarged to allow more natural light into the room, while special storage spaces were being built for canvases and painting materials.
The hidden gate between the two properties was also under construction.
It was being designed carefully so that it would look like part of the garden wall when viewed from outside.
Yun-ji had wanted it that way.
She didn't want the connection between the two houses to attract attention.
For her, it was simply convenient.
For Min-Ho, it had already become something she jokingly called their "secret passage."
But while the workers were busy transforming the house, Min-Ho spent most of her time at home.
She had begun thinking seriously about her next painting.
Her first successful painting had changed many things.
It had won the competition.
It had been purchased by a wealthy collector.
And the money she had earned from it had become the first investment toward the future she and Yun-ji were building together.
But Min-Ho didn't want her next painting to be created simply because she needed another successful piece.
She wanted it to mean something.
She sat in front of a large blank canvas for nearly an hour one afternoon.
Nothing.
She dipped her brush into paint, then stopped.
She tried another color.
Still nothing.
She frowned.
"Why is this so difficult?"
Her eyes moved toward the window.
Outside, sunlight fell across the garden.
The leaves moved gently in the breeze.
She thought about the past.
About her old life.
About the pain she had carried for years.
About the pendant.
About Yun-ji.
And about the strange second chance both of them had been given.
A small smile appeared on her face.
Maybe she didn't need to paint the past.
Maybe she should paint the feeling of finally having a future.
She picked up her pencil.
Slowly, she began sketching.
While Min-Ho spent her days surrounded by canvases, Yun-ji had become increasingly busy with school.
Her term-test was approaching.
And this time, she had no intention of taking her studies lightly.
Every morning, she arrived at school early.
Sometimes the classroom was almost empty when she entered.
She would place her bag beside her desk, take out her textbooks, and begin revising.
Mathematics.
Science.
Literature.
History.
Every subject received her attention.
She wasn't satisfied with simply remembering the answers.
She wanted to understand them.
Her previous life had taught her how dangerous it was to waste time.
She had once believed there would always be another day.
Another chance.
Another opportunity.
Now she knew better.
Every day mattered.
Her classmates slowly began noticing the change.
"Yun-ji is here again."
"She comes before everyone."
"Does she even sleep?"
"She's studying for the term-test already?"
Yun-ji ignored the comments.
She had a goal.
She wanted to prove to herself that she could become the person she had always wanted to be.
And there was another reason.
She didn't want her family to see her as someone who could be pushed aside.
She wanted to build a future where her decisions belonged to her.