Chapter 1: The Guest and His Strange Money

The guest is strange.

He gives me weird money.

But…I can buy so many things with it.

Under the scorching sun, Lee Kang-jin carried a bucket of sand up the stairs at a construction site for an apartment building.

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

Breathing was painful due to the heat radiating from the hot concrete and the accompanying dust.

“Huff-huff-huff!”

Why did the elevator have to break down today of all days?

Today’s job assignment was on the fourth floor, but unfortunately, the elevator malfunctioned. Although it wasn’t yet fully constructed, there was a makeshift elevator workers used to reach higher floors, which had now broken down. Consequently, they were forced to haul buckets of sand up four flights of stairs by hand.

I shouldn’t think about it, don’t think about it.

Construction work is literally one of the hardest manual labor jobs out there. People often use the phrase “backbreaking” to describe arduous tasks, and carrying sand up multiple flights of stairs certainly fits that description.

Lee Kang-jin tried not to think too much about it. Overthinking would only make it harder for him. It was easier if he focused solely on each step ahead.

Upon reaching the fourth floor, Lee Kang-jin emptied his load.

Shhhf!

Carrying the sand took forever, but emptying it happened in an instant.

“Huff…huff!” As Lee Kang-jin caught his breath, another worker mixing cement with a shovel handed him a bottle of water.

“Take a break before heading back down.”

“I think so too. Huff… It’s way too hot today.”

The middle-aged man chuckled at Kangjin’s comment.

“It gets unbearably hot during summer and freezing cold in winter… But I still prefer summer over winter.”

Kangjin nodded in agreement with him.

“You’re right about that.”

Compared to busy summers, there were fewer construction jobs available during winter. Hence, he preferred working in the summer when more opportunities presented themselves.

After catching his breath, Kangjin hoisted another bag of sand onto his shoulders. The older worker observed this and asked,

“Saving up for tuition fees?”

“I should have enough if I work for ten more days or so.”

“Keep it up.”

“Yes, sir.”

With the heavy load on his back, Kangjin descended the stairs before trudging back up carrying the sand.

After finishing her strenuous part-time job, Kangjin leaned against a wall, exhausted. he blankly surveyed her room.

A small bed, a tiny dresser and desk attached to it… That was all he had…

Kangjin stretched her neck absentmindedly.

Crack!

“I’m dying.”

he remained leaning against the wall for a moment before pulling out her phone to check a text message.

[Deposit: 140,000 won]

[Balance: 3,971,240 won]

Seeing the balance, he sighed heavily.

“Only three million thirty thousand left to go.”

At least five million won was needed to cover tuition fees for re-enrollment and minimum living expenses for the second semester of school.

“Just ten more days of hustling.”

Vrrr, vrrr.

As he stared at the amount on his phone screen, it rang with an unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Is this Mr. Lee Kang-jin?”

“Yes? Who is this?”

“This is Attorney Shin Sooho from Seo & Baek Law Firm.”

“A lawyer?”

“I’d like to discuss something urgent with you in person. If it’s not too much trouble, could I meet you now?”

Hearing about meeting up, Kangjin glanced at his phone again.

“What? Is this some phishing scam?” He couldn’t think of any reason why a lawyer would call him for a personal meeting.

As if hearing his mumbling, the lawyer’s voice came through the phone.

“Mr. Lee Kang-jin, this is not a phishing scam. I’m standing outside your lodging house.”

“In front of my lodging house?”

“Yes.”

Confused by the mention of being right outside, Kangjin replied, “Let’s meet up then.”

With that, he hung up and ventured out from the lodging house after a brief moment.

Outside stood a middle-aged man dressed in a white suit.

How peculiar.

An all-white suit… He’d only seen mob bosses wearing such attire in movies; never had he witnessed anyone donning it in real life.

The man approached as soon as Kangjin emerged.

“I am Shin Suho.”

“Lee Kang-jin.”

When Shin Suho handed him a business card, Kangjin examined it closely.

Shin Suho

Chief Attorney at S&B Law Firm

“A real lawyer?” Kang-jin asked incredulously.

In response, Shin Suho took out his phone and showed him a screen with his name on an internet news article.

“Do you recognize me now?”

“Just a moment.” Kang-jin searched for Shin Suho’s name on his own phone, cross-referenced it with the image, then nodded. “So what brings you here?”

“I am the person in charge of Mrs. Kim Bokrae’s legacy.”

“Mrs. Kim Bokrae?”

It was a new name to Gang-jin, which meant he had no idea who she was.

“And…?”

“Mrs. Kim Bokrae left part of her estate to you, Mr. Lee Kang-jin.”

“Her estate?” The word puzzled Gang-jin.

“I don’t know who that is…”

“She is the great-grandniece of your great-great-grandfather, Lee Myungsob.”

he said he was the descendant of my great-great-grandfather’s sister… So that makes her a distant relative

In this day and age, he didn’t even know his grandfather’s siblings, let alone those of his great-great-grandfather. Although technically they were still family members…they might as well be strangers to him. Plus, this was how Kangjin first learned his great-great-grandfather’s name was Lee Myungsob.

Moreover, it had been ten years since Kangjin lost contact with his relatives after his parents passed away…so why would his great-great-grandfather’s niece’s grandson leave him anything in her will? And if he indeed was the granddaughter of his great-great-grandfather’s sister…that meant he wasn’t part of his immediate family lineage, right?

Kangjin looked at Shin Suho incredulously.

“Did I come to the right place? Is it really you?”

“Lee Kang-jin, age 28. Your parents passed away when you were 17, and after leaving Hope Orphanage, you enrolled at Seoshin University. Currently, you’re on hiatus as a fourth-year student majoring in psychology.”

As Shin Suho recited details about him, Lee Kang-jin stared back in disbelief.

“Really…you came here for me?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“So then…I’m receiving an inheritance?”

“To be precise, it’s a building.”

“A building? You mean, I inherited a building?” Shocked, Kang-jin looked at Shin Suho, who nodded affirmatively.

“Mrs. Kim Bokrae has left you a two-story building located in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul.”