Chapter 9
‘Hmm, so if I complete the quest, Noa gets upgraded?’
By the way, old man, this is amazing! Introducing the service this quickly.
Before internet banking was fully introduced, there was home banking based on dial-up PC versions, but that only allowed you to check account balances or transaction history.
The best thing about internet banking is being able to transfer money without actually going to a bank.
‘I also built an internet-based home stock trading system.’
When I went to the bank last time, I convinced Junho to open a Tomorrow Securities account in my name.
Junho didn’t know what securities were and asked why I needed that, but I again made an excuse, saying my mom told me to open it.
Anyway, it was Tomorrow Finance that reformed internet banking and launched a stock HTS program—a home trading system—ahead of other securities firms.
Now, customers no longer need to transfer money in person at a bank teller, nor go to a brokerage to buy stocks.
But there’s a problem.
At age four—well, now that the new year has come, maybe five?
Anyway, at age five, bank regulations say I’m too young to sign up for internet banking services. (Even if I could sign up, there’s the fatal inconvenience of having to register a guardian’s account to use it.)
But I have the isekai advantage!
[Internet account transfers and stock investments are now possible.]
The protection of the pink system window, which easily bypasses such restrictions!
If Noa is the pet and assistant I need to raise, the pink window seems like a system that raises me by giving quests.
Anyway, thanks to that, I can access internet banking. When money is transferred into my account, I can move it to my securities account and buy whatever stocks I want at any time.
I’m five years old, but I can transfer money and invest!
‘With this, can I clear the “Noa’s Approval” quest as well?’
“Noa, how much do I have?”
[Account balance is 15,300 won. ૮₍ ¬ ᴥ ¬ ₎ა]
That’s the 5,300 won I put in from my piggy bank last time, plus the 10,000 won I received from Chairman Kang Un-san of Tomorrow Finance.
‘I need to start filling up my seed money properly.’
I thought, clenching my small fist.
Now, is it about time to collect that money?
“Chae-ah, do you want to go to the park with Daddy? The lady on the first floor gave you a tricycle to ride.”
“Don’t you have to go to work, Daddy?”
At my words, Junho looked a little flustered and scratched his head.
“Uh, well….”
His eyes wandered as if lost for a moment, then he spoke cheerfully.
“Daddy’s on vacation. Starting tomorrow, um… for a few days.”
In the labor environment of the late 1990s, it’s hard for a factory worker to take several consecutive days off. Especially in a six-day workweek world where you work Monday through Saturday and get only Sunday off.
‘…He got laid off.’
Even though he tried to act okay, I could tell from his uneasy smile.
When I nodded as if I understood, Junho’s face brightened again.
So we held hands and headed to the park near our house.
And the moment we entered the park—
“Wha…?”
I was shocked.
Wasn’t today Wednesday? Why are there so many people in suits?
Come to think of it, dark expressions, despair-filled eyes, slumped shoulders.
There were an enormous number of office workers sitting huddled together on benches.
“Ah….”
I covered my mouth with trembling hands.
‘The unemployed…’
Honestly, I didn’t fully grasp the situation back then because I was too young.
But seeing Junho laid off and all these people right in front of me as the unemployed makes my stomach churn.
What are they thinking? How many families are being shaken? How many people are suffering?
Just as my heart was about to grow somber—
“Chae-ah! Look, look! A butterfly!”
Junho, ignoring all that, giggled and led me closer to the bushes, pointing at a butterfly.
A fluttering yellow-winged butterfly, shining like the only bright thing in this park that had turned all black.
“Pretty, isn’t it?”
His faint double eyelids curved into crescents, growing even shallower. A soft smile lingered on my lips.
“You’re as pretty as Daddy.”
At that, Junho looked at me in surprise, then cleared his throat.
“Daddy isn’t pretty—he’s handsome! Well….”
Junho’s cheeks flushed shyly.
“But if you say I’m pretty, I guess that’s also true.”
‘Anyone can see you’re pretty!’
I smirked and said,
“But, Daddy… isn’t there something you want to do?”
“Hmm? Daddy?”
Junho pushed me from behind as he sat me on the tricycle seat and continued.
“Well… I used to want to become an actor…”
Having watched Love You to Death, I knew about Gu Junho’s past.
“Maybe I had no talent for acting; no one called me. So I worked as a manager for Sae-byeol noona… your mom. Back then, I never went hungry, and noona treated me well, so I liked it.”
Without showing any fatigue, he pushed the tricycle around the park for a second lap.
But… he didn’t go hungry after meeting Mom? That means he went hungry before that?
‘Junho… sniff.’
“What I want to do… is probably the acting I gave up before. But…”
“…Daddy.”
Junho’s voice trembled a little.
“I’m not such a fool as to cling to something that won’t work out.”
“But…”
I turned around and said to Junho,
“You… don’t have to push the tricycle anymore.”
“Ah, right. It’s a tricycle.”
Only then did Junho let go of the handle attached to the back of the bike.
I started pedaling, and as he watched me circle the park, Junho scratched his head with a sullen face.
“…Maybe I am a fool.”
Soon, I stopped in front of Junho, looked up at him, and said,
“Maybe the roles or projects you tried out for just weren’t a good fit, right?”
“Projects?”
“Yeah. What projects did you do? And what roles?”
“In the drama Autumn Memories, I played a surgeon. The one who diagnoses the female lead with a terminal illness…”
His eyes shimmered.
“I started crying without meaning to. So I messed up two takes and got scolded by the director.”
A surgeon? That doesn’t suit him at all.
From his looks alone, Junho is a capital F!
Junho mentioned two more works he appeared in, but they were projects I’d never heard of, and the roles didn’t fit him either.
“It’s like the roles were just messing with you.”
“Messing?”
“Anyway, in Chae-ah’s opinion, Daddy…”
I scanned Junho from head to toe. Even if beauty standards differed by era, someone like Junho should have made it big.
Especially with a face and physique like this, without plastic surgery, skincare, or camera filters!
“You should be an actor. Yes, you absolutely have to be an actor! Got it?!”
“Chae-ah…”
Junho, with a face like a shoujo manga protagonist, looked flustered and stammered.
Just then, as if cheering on my decision, Noa appeared.
[Sub Quest: Guardian’s Growth (Stage 1) — Get Daddy to Appear in a New Drama ໒(＾ᴥ＾)७]
[Reward: Asset increase equal to the average viewership rating of the first 3 episodes]
Huh? A sub-quest?
‘This… is a win-win!’
“How about looking into drama auditions again? Chae-ah will pick for you!”
“….”
Junho stared at me for a long time with a thoughtful expression.
I knew why he couldn’t answer easily. Probably because of the immense responsibility of having to support me.
And because he had already failed as an actor before.
‘But this time will be different…!’
“Daddy, Chae-ah even bit the bad kids! Chae-ah knows everything!”
Junho, as if feeling that I was trying to comfort him, nodded with a wistful face and reached out to pat my head.
“…Thank you, Chae-ah.”
So we returned home, and at the front gate, we ran right into the landlady from the first floor.
Startled for some reason, Junho stopped in front of the plump, hands-behind-her-back landlady, who gazed at him steadily.
“Young man. Well, I should say, the father.”
“Ah, uh, yes, hello. Well… you see…”
Junho fidgeted nervously and spoke to her.
“We’re in a bit of a tight spot this month, so if you could just wait a little for the rent… I’ve decided to go to the labor office starting tomorrow.”
At this, the landlady’s eyebrows shot up.
“What? What do you mean?”
“I know it’s shameless of me to ask…”
“No, that’s not it…”
Listening to the conversation, I smirked.
“You mean you deposited a whole year’s rent in one go and forgot about it?”
At that, Junho’s eyes went wide.
The landlady smiled and said,
“Gu Junho, that’s the father’s name, right? I went to the bank today to sort out my passbook, and the money came in properly. Oh my, to give a whole year’s rent at once during these hard times. I’m so grateful.”
Then, looking at me riding the tricycle behind him, she added,
“The child takes after her father—so bright-eyed. I left some snacks in front of your door, so enjoy!”
“Yes! Thank you very much!”
The landlady, chuckling at my enthusiastic reply, went back inside. Junho stood frozen, dumbfounded.
“…How… did this happen?”
Once inside, Junho rubbed his eyes as if unsure whether this was a dream or reality.
