Chapter 5
I had been isekai’d into <Love You to Death>, and since the drama’s investment company was Messiah, it seemed some kind of special perk had been created.
Anyway, at first I tried to use it…
But there was a very big problem.
Whether because it was happy to see me after a long time, inside the blue screen a white dog made of dots was panting and smiling at me.
“Send me back to my original body!”
[Searching…]
[It seems I can’t find that item. ૮ ◞ ﻌ ◟ ა]
“Tell that idiot Kim Min-cheol to hurry up and come here and apologize to Mommy!”
[Searching…]
[It seems I can’t find that item.]
[Would you like to try a different search term? ૮₍´˶• ᴥ •˶₎ა]
Even when I went to the park with Mom and lost her for a moment.
“Find the way!”
[Please try changing your search criteria!]
“What can you even do?!”
[Unable to find the desired item. ૮ ˶ ˆ ᴥ ˆ ˶ ა]
“Woo-bya-bya-bya!”
‘You dum-dum!’
Whether its owner was frustrated or not, Noah, in the shape of a puppy, was happily wagging its tail and playing.
The Noah implanted in me wasn’t a repository of knowledge from the timeline I lived in, but a severely downgraded AI.
And in this era, lacking a physical internet infrastructure, the AI assistant system, which needed to function through a network, seemed to have many limitations.
But still.
In the late 1990s, South Korea’s IT infrastructure was rapidly developing, and the utility of the internet was starting to increase.
So if this really was a beta version of Messiah’s AI assistant, its core performance was still intact, so it would become more and more usable over time.
Thinking that, I narrowed my eyes and stared intently at Noah. The puppy pretended to sniff the floor and avoided my gaze.
[૮₍´˶¬ ᴥ ¬˶₎ა]
‘Hmph, anyway, should I start preparing “that thing” for when the time comes?’
“You want to go to the bank?”
“Yes~”
Seeing me nod, Jun-ho scratched his head.
“Mommy said I need to save hard.”
“But… Chae-ah has a piggy bank, doesn’t she?”
Jun-ho’s gaze turned to the red piggy bank on top of the turquoise dresser. It was about a quarter full, filled with the allowance Jun-ho often gave me.
“But a piggy bank doesn’t earn interest!”
Hands on my hips, I continued.
“Mommy said so. If you put money in the bank, it grows!”
Jun-ho looked at me blankly, then bent his knees slightly to meet my eyes. He murmured in wonder.
“You remember what Mommy said so well. Chae-ah, you’re really smart.”
For a four-year-old, asking to open a bank account was unusual, after all.
“How did Saebyeol noona give birth to such a clever daughter?”
“Heuh heuh.”
Jun-ho’s eyes, equipped with daughter-blinded lenses, sparkled as they looked at me. Then, as if resolved, he set his brow firmly and spoke.
“Okay, let’s go open an account. There’s Dongnam Bank near our house, let’s see… today’s business hours are…”
As Jun-ho looked at the clock, I quickly said.
“Not there, Naeil Bank!”
“Huh?” Jun-ho looked at me.
“But Dongnam Bank is closer. Naeil Bank requires a long walk, are you sure?”
I nodded as if to say don’t worry.
“Chae-ah wants to go to Naeil Bank. Mommy said Naeil Bank is good.”
“Alright, okay, Chae-ah. If we’re going out, let’s get you dressed.”
Good-natured Jun-ho didn’t mind the trouble and agreed to my request. He then changed my clothes, picked up the red piggy bank, and handed it to me.
‘Can’t go to Dongnam Bank… because…’
I hugged the piggy bank tightly, thinking.
‘It’s going to go bankrupt.’
I knew about the news that would soon fill the media.
Bank failure is absolutely the worst thing for a depositor.
“By the way, does Daddy have money in Dongnam Bank too?”
“Uh, well, Daddy…”
Jun-ho scratched his head, his face turning a bit red. Then his eyebrows drooped dejectedly.
I could tell without him saying.
‘…He doesn’t have money to deposit.’
I smiled calmly and took Jun-ho’s hand.
“Let’s go!”
And so, Jun-ho and I left the rooftop room and walked for a full thirty minutes.
‘Ah, this is too much for baby legs. Why isn’t there a bus route here?’
Eventually, carrying the piggy bank, I rode on Jun-ho’s back to Naeil Bank.
Entering the branch, there were surprisingly few customers. Maybe because closing time was near?
We pulled a number ticket from an old machine that printed the waiting order and sat down. We could see the bank tellers working behind reinforced glass. It felt strangely sealed off, except for small gaps for documents, probably as protection against robbers.
The sound of stamping and printers felt oddly cozy. On one wall, a printed paper said, “Account inquiry via internet available starting this month.”
‘To witness the beginning of the true internet era… it feels kind of overwhelming…!’
Finally, my turn came. Before going to the bank, I had told Jun-ho what documents to bring. He brought them, so opening an account in my name went smoothly.
“Please stamp here.”
“Yes!”
Jun-ho stamped my wooden seal on the deposit slip with a voice so excited it drew stares. My name, “Goo Chae-ah,” was clearly imprinted, and Jun-ho’s pretty eyes shone with pride. I watched him contentedly and spoke to the teller.
“By the way, I have a question.”
“Oh my, go ahead, little customer.”
“That thing, about being able to check accounts via internet…”
“Oh my goodness!”
The teller processing the papers opened her eyes wide in surprise.
“You can read already? That’s amazing!”
Ah.
As if he had been waiting for the right moment, Jun-ho excitedly said.
“Hah… my daughter… actually…”
His eyes gleamed with a hint of mania.
“I think she’s a genius.”
“….”
“No, I mean, this little kid knows about interest! She knows about interest, and even about inheritance. Where in the world is there a four-year-old who knows about interest and inheritance? She reads letters this well too, ha…”
Every time Jun-ho’s admiring voice flowed out, my stomach tickled with embarrassment.
“You won’t find a child this smart anywhere…”
“Sir! Wh-when will internet banking transfers become available?”
Sorry, but I interrupted Jun-ho’s proud boasting about his daughter and asked in a clever voice. The teller blinked.
“Oh dear, you really are smart. This is the first time I’ve seen a four-year-old use the word ‘transfer’.”
Well, that’s because I’m not four!
“Right? See, our Chae-ah is definitely a genius.”
Listening to this somewhat maddening conversation, I suddenly heard a low voice from behind.
“Little one.”
The dignified voice seemed to hint at the man’s age. As soon as the employees saw him, they all rose from their seats and bowed. He was clearly someone important.
‘Who is it?’
I quickly turned around. An elderly gentleman, who seemed to be the owner of the voice, was approaching us. His eyes held an interesting gleam as he held the hand of a handsome boy around my apparent age.
‘Uh…? That face… I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere…’
But it didn’t come to me immediately.
The elderly gentleman standing before me said to the tellers who had risen for him and the staff who had gathered.
“Everyone, get back to work. Don’t mind me.”
Then, looking at me, he spoke again.
“If you asked when internet banking transfers would be available, that means you know what internet banking is. Am I right?”
“Excuse me, but who are you?”
Jun-ho pulled me towards him warily, but I shook my head as if it was fine and spoke confidently to the elderly man.
“Umm, it means the bank is inside the computer!”
At my words, the elderly man’s eyebrows twitched greatly. The expressionless boy’s eyes also seemed to waver slightly.
“You have to wait if you come to the bank like this to deposit money. But if the bank is inside the computer, you don’t need to go to the bank! It’s convenient for me and for the bank!”
As soon as I finished speaking, there was silence. Soon after, I heard Jun-ho muttering to himself.
“The computer…? How can you put a bank inside a computer?”
But the elderly man’s sharply set face showed no movement. He just stared at me for a long time.
