Chapter Title: A Second Chance at Life
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Jeon Yeol had been given another shot at living life right.
Having returned to the past, he knew all the major events that would unfold in the future.
That meant he could change his family's tragic history too.
Of course, he'd have to deal with the alien invasion as well.
But right now, no one would believe him if he tried talking about that.
The first alien incursion wouldn't happen for another six years.
Jeon Yeol's top priority was fixing his family's problems first.
He wiped the smile off his face and steadied his mind.
Then he thought about what he needed to do right away.
'Wait... It's March 17, 2009...'
His little sister So Yeol was still alive.
She was a high school sophomore right now.
In his previous life, she'd been murdered on March 24, 2009, coming home late from her school drama club activities.
He even remembered the day of the week.
It was a Tuesday.
How could he ever forget that day?
Jeon Yeol would never forget the day his little sister was killed.
But that day hadn't come yet.
"I can stop it!"
He'd been powerless back then because he hadn't known, but now he did.
So he could absolutely prevent So Yeol's death.
Jeon Yeol checked the time on his smartphone.
"4:37."
So Yeol should still be at school.
"Should I head to the school?"
He missed her face so much.
But he quickly shook his head.
He knew she'd just chew him out if he showed up.
Unlike Ha Yeol, who couldn't stand up to him, So Yeol always spoke her mind.
'How long are you gonna live like this?'
'Bro, get your act together.'
'What? You gonna hit me? Go ahead! Even if it kills me, I'll say what I need to say! I'll keep saying it until you get your life straight!'
A smile crept onto Jeon Yeol's lips as he recalled So Yeol's nagging.
Thinking back, she really was a great little sister.
Even when the whole family had given up on him, So Yeol never did.
From the moment their family fell apart and he started going off the rails for real, she'd tried tirelessly to set him straight.
Who knew a girl could have such grit?
Back in school, Jeon Yeol ran with a crowd of delinquents just like him.
When they banded together, even adults usually looked the other way no matter what trouble they caused.
But So Yeol was different.
If she found him drinking under a bridge in his school uniform with his buddies, she'd come charging in, yelling at him to snap out of it.
Back then, it had just annoyed him.
But after she died, he'd missed that nagging more than anything.
"I'll see So Yeol when she gets home later."
Mom and Dad would be out working right now.
His mom did dishes and cleaned at a restaurant from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
His dad did day labor during the day and drove a cab at night.
They were both scraping by however they could.
"I need some way to make money."
Jeon Yeol had come back from the future.
If he knew even a little about how the world worked, there were plenty of ways he could've made a fortune.
Unfortunately, he'd never cared about any of that.
It wasn't until the aliens invaded that he'd been forced to pay attention just to survive.
Before that, he'd ignored everything and just lived for the moment.
'If only I'd remembered even one lotto number!'
He could've turned his life around in an instant, and it stung that he hadn't.
Mother didn't know past lotto numbers either.
She was an AI built solely for the Earth Vanguard's Retro facility, so she didn't have that kind of data.
So how was he supposed to make money?
As he pondered, his gaze fell on the smartphone in his hand.
He hurriedly checked the apps installed on it.
"It's not here."
The app he was looking for wasn't there.
It didn't show up in the app store either.
The app Jeon Yeol wanted was KakaoTalk.
KakaoTalk had exploded in popularity by offering free chatting to people used to texting, and later expanded into games, web novels, shopping, music, ride-hailing—everything under the sun.
It had changed an entire era.
'This is it!'
Jeon Yeol was convinced he could make a killing by developing and launching KakaoTalk first.
The problem was the development costs and the team he'd need.
Even knowing the future, he lacked the expertise and the startup capital.
So he couldn't just dive in right away.
His worries circled back to square one.
'I listened to a ton of music, at least.'
No matter how disinterested he'd been in the world, hit songs had still reached his ears.
He could copy those big hits and release them first to cash in.
But that only worked if he could compose music.
It wasn't just music. He knew about fusion foods and accessories that blew up in each era too.
Jeon Yeol hadn't cared about social issues, but he'd been pretty tuned in to everyday trends.
Still, all those ideas required resources he didn't have on hand.
"Haa."
That was when his worries kept piling up—
Bzzzzt—
His smartphone vibrated.
It was a call.
Jeon Yeol frowned at the name on the screen.
'Yong-sik hyung.'
It had been ages since he'd seen that name, even in his past life.
And it didn't bring any joy.
Yong-sik was exactly ten years older than him. Right now, he was deep in the gangster life, and his vibe was rotten.
Jeon Yeol couldn't fathom why he'd hung around that guy back then. Looking back, it was pathetic.
Still, he decided to pick up.
"Yeah, hyung."
A thick, arrogant voice poured out from the smartphone.
—Yeol-ah, what're you up to right now?
Just hearing it made his irritation spike.
Yong-sik was the one who'd gotten him into all the dirty deeds once his head got too big, and pushed him into the gang life.
Not a single good thing had come from following Yong-sik's lead in his previous life.
His tone turned stiff without him realizing it.
"At home."
—Come to the office. Got a job for you. I'll pay you well, so hustle over.
He always promised fat paydays, but it always ended up being pocket change.
"What's the job?"
Irritation crept into Yong-sik's voice at the question.
—When hyung says come, you come. What's with all the questions?
"I need to know."
—What?!
Yong-sik had assumed Jeon Yeol would come running, like always.
So this sudden pushback made his anger boil over.
—You rebelling now?
"Just asking."
—Haa. Fine, I'll tell you. Collections. Go to Kim Boss in the Boram Apartments in Hupyeong-dong and get his money. Bring back exactly ten million.
'Kim Boss in the Boram Apartments in Hupyeong-dong?'
The moment he heard it, a memory from his past life flashed up.
'I took this job back then too.'
He hadn't been Yong-sik's biggest fan even then, but he'd done whatever was asked.
Yong-sik made good money and tossed pocket change to underlings who listened well and got the job done—under the guise of "hustle pay."
Not much, but still.
Jeon Yeol had no other skills besides throwing punches, and his personality was trash, so what choice did he have?
That's why he'd gone to collect from that Kim Boss in the Boram Apartments too.
Turned out, Kim Boss's daughter was Kim Ji-woo, who went to the same high school as him.
Ji-woo was pretty, had a great figure, top grades, and got along with everyone—a total perfect daughter type.
Her family was well-off too.
But misfortune struck in an instant.
Her dad's business tanked, and in scrambling for cash flow, he turned to loan sharks.
Jeon Yeol hadn't known the full story, of course.
He'd just been a little surprised that Ji-woo was Kim Boss's daughter.
But that was it.
True to form, he'd threatened Kim Boss without a shred of mercy.