episode_0005

As the new year begins, I turn three years old.

A lot has happened in the year since I turned three.

We had a first birthday party, and after the party was over, many people came to visit.

And I also filled back in the word ‘dad’ that had been erased from my dictionary.

My father, who came home after drinking outside and complained to me because I didn’t call him “dad” until the end.

When my mother saw that and her expression became filled with sadness, I knew something was wrong.

Since it happened in a past life, it may feel unfair to my father in this life since he did not commit any sins.

More than anything, my heart ached when I saw my mother with a sad expression. It seems that my mother has already taken a big place in me.

Anyway, that happened, and as my body grew, I was finally able to walk on my own and my pronunciation improved.

The biggest thing of all is that I have a younger sibling.

I haven’t seen it yet.

Because it hasn’t come out into the world yet.

To be exact, my mother was pregnant.

I also found out last night after hearing the conversation between my mom and dad, but since it’s January now, if he comes out this year, he’ll be exactly two years younger than me.

I had a younger sister who was a scoundrel in my previous life too.

Of course, from what I heard when I was working in the headquarters secretary’s office, I don’t know the exact reason, but it was known that he and the mangnani were not on good terms.

I haven’t seen you once in almost a year that I’ve been your secretary, so I’ll tell you everything.

Well, it seems like no one would like a nerd.

Anyway, I only heard rumors in my past life that Mangnani’s younger sister was incredibly pretty, and I never saw her when I was working in the headquarters secretary’s office.

I knew we were two years apart in our previous lives. I thought the future would change because of me, but it seems that wasn’t the case.

I don’t know for sure. Maybe it’s not my sister, but my younger brother.

I really hope that the right sperm and egg meet.

“Jaehoon.”

“Huh?”

“Jaehoon got a younger sibling?”

“I know.”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“I heard what Mom and Dad were talking about yesterday.”

“But why didn’t you ask?”

“You were going to say it like this anyway.”

“Really? Jaehoon is really smart.”

“That’s right. I know everything.”

“Huh? Then Jaehoon, do you know how babies are born?”

“Then I know everything.”

“Huh? How do you know that?”

Mom’s eyes shake slightly.

“I saw it on TV.”

“How does it happen?”

Eyes shaking violently with a look of doubt. It’s not common.

“With mom~ With dad~ At night~”

It’s the first time I’ve seen my mom’s eyes so wide. That’s all for the joke.

“If you hold my hand and say, “Have a baby!” and sleep, the baby will be born.”

“Haha. Did you see that on TV? Our Jaehoon is so smart!”

“But I have a mom.”

“Huh?”

“My mom and I sleep together at night, so when does my little brother make it?”

“Huh? Ahaha. You had to make it without letting other people know, so you made it secretly while Jaehoon was sleeping, right?”

“Have a baby next to me! Yay! How about it?”

“Huh? I don’t know. Jaehoon, do you want some snacks?”

The mother hurriedly leaves the place.

Surely you didn’t really do it next to me?

***

Even though my mother was pregnant, her daily life didn’t change much.

Maybe because it was the beginning, it didn’t look like anything from the outside, and other than being a little careful when eating or going out, there wasn’t much of a difference.

Daytime alone with my mom.

Today, as usual, my mom is watching the economic news while folding the laundry, and I am sitting next to her and watching TV.

– KOSDAQ market continues to grow…

– The KOSPI index hit a high due to the influence of the KOSDAQ market…

– As the Dubo Group faces final bankruptcy…

This year is 1997, the year the IMF foreign exchange crisis began.

It started the moment we joined the OECD, with the trade deficit piling up over the years.

Last year, the KOSPI and KOSDAQ markets opened and the KOSDAQ joined the OECD, leading to a continued upward trend.

People might have thought that as Korea’s GDP rose, the country was becoming wealthier.

However, Korea was currently implementing protectionist measures and liberalizing foreign exchange transactions in order to join the OECD, and it was a country with insufficient foreign exchange reserves and no ability to respond.

If such a country liberalizes foreign exchange transactions and even foreign investors withdraw from the hedge fund attacks, it is only natural that the country will go bankrupt.

In the meantime, the reserves were blown away by defending the exchange rate, so it would be stranger if there was no default.

I’m sure no one could have predicted this in advance.

The average debt ratio of large corporations is 500% due to octopus-style borrowing management, and the Southeast Asian economy is in recession.

If you expected all this from the beginning, you’re either a regressor like me or a god.

It hasn’t happened yet, but to me, who knows the future, the bankruptcy of the Dubo Group looks like the beginning of Korea’s bankruptcy.

I was three years old and had no money, so I couldn’t stop this or make money, so at times like this, I wanted to grow up quickly.

“Jaehoon, should I try investing in stocks too?”

This lady suddenly started making noises that would cause big trouble.

They say that if monks and mothers appear in the guest room, it is a high point.

But what’s strange is that it’s not at its peak as of January, since it’s known to be rising until June.

If it can come out at the right time before June, it would be a good investment, but I wonder? Will it come out on its own at that time? I don’t think so.

“No. Mom, don’t work. You have to take care of me and the baby in your stomach.”

“Hahaha right? But does Jaehoon understand all that?”

“No. It’s just fun to watch.”

“Huh? That? Why? Aren’t children’s shows more fun?”

“No. It’s more fun to go up and down like that.”

“Really? He’s my son, but he’s really amazing~”

I know it’s going to look weird if I watch economic broadcasts diligently, but I can’t give this up.

It’s practically my only favorite broadcast.

***

As my mother’s pregnancy passed the fifth month, her belly began to swell to the point where anyone could tell she was pregnant.

Mom said I’m going to start getting fuller faster now.

As someone who was an orphan, a bachelor, and a magician-to-be in my previous life, just looking at it makes me scared of how much more full I will become.

In the meantime, it seems that my grandfather has realized the dangers of the upcoming Korean economy and has moved my father from the position of director of a subsidiary to the position of managing director of the head office and is using him to his advantage.

I wondered why a loser with no ability in his previous life was put in the position of director of a subsidiary from the beginning, and it turns out that my father was also a director of a subsidiary from the beginning.

The difference in ability is worlds apart, but it’s something I just can’t understand.

Anyway, there were many days when my father couldn’t come home because he was being taken advantage of by my grandfather.

As someone who knows the future, I am certain that my father will become busier, so I feel even more sorry for my mother who will not be able to see him often.

Since 19 out of the top 30 companies disappeared or split up before and after the IMF, they will be even busier trying to buy up those companies. It is practically a bargain sale period.

I feel sorry for my mother, but it is also a bit of a happy thing for me, who was born into a conglomerate family.

I don’t really have a huge greed for money, but I’m a third-generation chaebol without having to do anything, so if I’m going to be a chaebol, it can’t be helped that it’s better to be a chaebol with more money.

As time went by, Korea began to see more and more companies going bankrupt.

The collapse of the Thai baht and the postponement of the bankruptcy of GIA Motors, the world’s eighth largest company.

Following this, the Indonesian rupee also plummeted, and TV was reporting that the Korean economy was also in crisis, but no one had a proper solution.

This is just the beginning.

More companies will collapse, leading to an IMF bailout.

All I could do was stay home and cry like a three-year-old.

***

As my mother’s pregnancy passed the 6th month and housework became more difficult, a housekeeper started coming to work at our house.

The youngest of three children is an adult, but she is a housekeeper who doesn’t look that old.

Today, my aunt came to work early in the morning and prepared breakfast for the family without my father.

“Madam, eat~”

“Young Master, you need to eat too?”

“Wow. I would have been in trouble if my aunt hadn’t been here.”

“Haha. I do this all the time~”

I agree.

The dining table is on a different level.

It looks no different from the regular home-cooked meal that my mom used to make, but the five-dish meal has become an eight-dish meal, and most importantly, the taste is different.

An ordinary house has become a famous restaurant.

“Does the little master like it?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

“Eat a lot~ Little Master?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

I was eating spinach, bracken, and eggplant, and was impressed by the harmonious flavors.

“Does Jaehoon like the food his mom makes? Does his aunt like the food he makes?”

“…..”

If it’s a hundred, wouldn’t Aunt Baek raise her hand?

But somehow I had a gut feeling that I shouldn’t answer like that, so I pretended not to hear and continued to move my spoon and eat.

“Honey, Jaehoon is three years old, right?”

“Yes. Of course. Three years old. Why all of a sudden?”

“No. I’m amazed that my child eats quietly without spilling anything and without being picky.”

“Hehehe. Jaehoon is so smart and well-behaved.”

“My kids weren’t like that when they entered elementary school, but they’re so pretty.”

“Of course~. Since Jaehoon was a newborn~~~~~”

My aunt, who raised three children, will probably look at me differently.

Fortunately, she didn’t notice any such signs and is still an excited mother bragging about her son.