CH2 : Reincarnation

Tap. Tap.

"Chan-soo, wake up. You'll miss the plane."

"Gasp!"

Someone was shaking me awake, and I snapped my eyes open.

What? Am I alive?

Where am I?

This doesn't look like a hospital.

"How can you sleep at a time like this?"

"...Who... Who are you?"

"Hey, can't you even recognize your friend? I'm Lee Sam-bok, the 28th descendant of Admiral Yi Sun-sin."

A young man I had never seen before pinched my cheek and introduced himself with a joke.

He said his name was Lee Sam-bok.

Suddenly, I remembered Vice President Lee Sam-bok of Daese Group.

He always prided himself on being a direct descendant of General Yi Sun-sin.

Even the thick-rimmed glasses and the mole on his left cheek were identical.

But why would a young man mimic an elder over seventy years old? This didn't seem like a joke...

'What... what's with this face!'

I was bewildered by this stranger pretending to be my friend, but seeing my reflection in his glasses was even more shocking.

Terrified, I looked around and saw my reflection in the glass door across the hall.

Someone else was standing there.

'What is happening?'

"Ugh!"

Suddenly, a sharp pain hit the back of my head, like I was struck hard, and I instinctively rolled on the floor, vomiting.

"Chan-soo, what's wrong? Did you eat something bad?"

"Ughhh!"

The young man who claimed to be my friend tried to support me, but I kept retching.

Unfamiliar memories began to flood my mind.

I recalled a child selling newspapers in the early morning market, crying his eyes out after losing his mother on a cold winter day, and getting a job at a textile company only for the stock market to crash and the boss to flee.

It was as if a dwarf had entered my brain, rapidly spinning a black-and-white film reel I couldn't handle—a documentary of someone's life.

The documentary told me one thing.

'You are Woo Chan-soo. Once an idol for salaried workers in the 1990s, you fell from grace as a corrupt swindler!'

It was absurd, but the reflection of my face in the glass and the vivid sensations in my limbs told me this was no dream.

It was telling me I was indeed Woo Chan-soo, the chairman of Daese Group, reborn in his youth.

"Is there anyone? Help me, please! Help! Ahhh!"

"Move aside! I'm a doctor."

"Sir, please save my friend. He suddenly started vomiting and rolling on the floor."

"Hey, can you hear me? Take deep breaths. Deep breaths!"

Somewhere in the airport, a doctor pressed hard on my chest.

At first, I felt like I was suffocating, but soon I could breathe easier.

"Gasp... Gasp... Gasp..."

The blurry vision started to clear up gradually.

"Did your friend fall from a high place? If so, you should go to the hospital immediately."

"No, I woke him up for the flight, and he suddenly started vomiting and rolling on the floor."

"Really? Respiratory distress and a heart attack just from napping... This usually happens from falling or being crushed by something heavy."

I had been crushed under a pile of concrete in my past life.

It seemed the trauma of my previous life was affecting my reincarnated body. Ridiculous as it was, I had no objection to the fact that I was reborn in a new body.

I never thought I would realize that humans are adaptive creatures in this manner.

"Gasp... Gasp... Gasp..."

My breathing gradually returned to normal.

My whole body felt weak and heavy, but my vision and hearing were clear.

"Shock?"

"Severe stress or sleep deprivation can cause such symptoms too..."

"Sigh, this guy went through a lot. Lost his mother two years ago, the company he worked for went bankrupt, and he used all his savings for studying abroad. He barely managed to buy a plane ticket to London with his acceptance letter from Oxford. Poor guy... He must have been under a lot of stress."

"…Well, make sure he rests in a comfortable place and drinks plenty of water. A bit of rest and a visit to the hospital for an IV should solve the problem."

"Thank you, doctor. Take care."

Once we were alone, Lee Sam-bok suddenly hugged me and burst into tears.

"Poor guy."

"Disgusting... Let go..."

"Lean on me. I'll be your support. Sob."

"Let go, I said."

I pushed Sam-bok away with all my strength.

I felt much better. Even though I had just reincarnated, it was embarrassing to be hugged by a man.

I leaned against a wall in the airport.

'Is this Gimpo Airport?'

Looking around, it seemed like Gimpo Airport.

The commotion I had caused had quickly died down, and people were busily moving about.

Catching a plane was more important than anything else at the airport.

"What day is it today?"

"It's January 11th. Did you forget your departure date?"

"What year is it?"

"Are you crazy?"

"I nearly died. What year is it?"

"It's 1965."

Not even the 1970s but 1965—years before I was born. I had returned more than half a century to the past.

"Sam-bok."

I called out to Sam-bok, who was leaning against the wall beside me.

Even if I had become Woo Chan-soo, I felt a familiarity with him.

"What, man? How many times are you going to shock me? Your mother's death, the company bankruptcy, a heart attack..."

"It was shock, not a heart attack."

"Damn, fine."

"I'm going to start a business. I'll be back in a week at the latest, so quit your job and wait for me."

"What?"

"Quit your job and wait."

"What are you talking about? Our company hasn't gone bankrupt. And I just got promoted a month ago."

Sam-bok looked at me with disbelief, but I didn't care.

In history, Chairman Woo founded Daese Group, and you were with him.

When Woo brought in contracts, Vice President Lee Sam-bok managed the internal affairs of Daese Group.

They were more than friends; they were like brothers, working together until Daese Group collapsed during the IMF crisis.

"You once said your name, Sam-bok, means you have blessings of people, wealth, and rank."

"Yeah, my mom said a famous fortune teller told her that I would meet a great person before I turn thirty and succeed greatly, becoming richer than a millionaire."

"Did you ever think that great person might be me?"

"…You must be really sick... Let's go to the hospital. Forget about studying abroad and refund the plane ticket. You'll starve if you go."

"I'm fine. And I'm not going to study abroad. I'm flying to Singapore to secure an export contract."

I really had no intention of studying abroad.

I just needed to encounter the opportunity that made Chairman Woo successful.

"Singapore?"

"Yeah, Singapore! I'll change planes there on my way to London. I'll finish my business and come back."

In history, Chairman Woo had a breakthrough contract in Singapore while en route to London.

Lacking funds for living expenses, he tried his luck with a small deal, which turned out to be a huge success.

He planned to sell the contract at a premium to a domestic trading company, a bold and creative idea.

Although it started small, the deal exceeded hundreds of thousands of dollars, leading him to give up studying abroad and become a businessman.

Chairman Woo didn't realize the volume of the export contract would require a year of full operation from a decent factory.

I remembered this vividly from the endless stories during my induction training at Daese Group.

Though there might have been some exaggeration, the fact remained that Chairman Woo single-handedly secured a large contract in Singapore.

Poke. Poke.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm checking if my friend has gone crazy."

Sam-bok poked my cheek with his finger.

"I'm not joking. I will secure that contract."

I grabbed Sam-bok's arm with a determined expression.

Seeing the seriousness in my eyes, his expression gradually hardened.

He must have realized I wasn't joking.

"Damn... You're serious? When did you make connections in Singapore?"

"I received a revelation during the shock."

"…Do you want to die?"

"I'm serious. Our company went bankrupt, but I can contact one of our existing clients. He's in a tough spot due to a shortage of supplies. I'll definitely secure the contract."

"So, you're saying there's a possibility. Fine, I'll decide on my resignation after seeing the contract. We can't both end up on the streets."

Sam-bok clenched his fist, saying he'd wait to see the results before resigning.

Sure, I could allow that much.

"Alright. But prepare to vacate your rental deposit."

"…Crazy…"

"It's a promise."

I shook Sam-bok's fist firmly.

I stood up, dusted off my clothes, and checked my plane ticket.

All I had was a leather bag, so I was practically traveling empty-handed.

"Are you really okay? Can you get on the plane?"

"After vomiting everything, I feel like I was reborn. Wish me luck."

"Fighting."

"Yeah, fighting."

I felt surprisingly refreshed, as if I had never vomited.

The overwhelming waves of memories had also subsided.

**

Republic of Korea Immigration Office.

Once I got through here, it would be just like being overseas.

"Passport! Plane ticket!"

"Here it is."

"Look up."

"Yes."

The stern-looking immigration officer glanced back and forth between my documents and my face before stamping my passport.

After all, I was a student traveling abroad, and I had an acceptance letter from A University in England.

Chairman Woo was said to be quite proficient in English, and seeing the acceptance letter, I couldn't help but believe it.

"Have a safe trip, next!"

"Thank you."

With the immigration check over, I felt elated.

'Can I do well?'

It was absurd to be departing immediately after reincarnation, but if I wanted to seize this opportunity, I had to leave now.

In this era, giving up a single-entry passport meant waiting another year for re-approval.

"Ha."

Can I do well? Is that even a question?

Ridiculous.

It wasn't about doing well; it was about changing everything.

What's there to worry about for someone from the 21st century in the 1960s? South Korea was a developing country with over 10% annual growth at this time.

It was a period when Daese Enterprise, practically a small shop, grew into Daese Group in just a few years.

Though I couldn't start with construction or heavy industry, which were my major fields, there was no reason I couldn't accomplish what Chairman Woo did in his twenties.

During this explosive growth, it wouldn't be too difficult to seize successive opportunities.

The thrilling anticipation made my body tremble.

I could change everything.

I could correct the misguided choices of Daese Group overshadowed by its success story.

I could steer Daese Group, which neglected technological development, in the right direction.

I could do it. I am a completely different Woo Chan-soo.

"Let's go, to Singapore!"