Chapter 2: The End of Misery, The Dawn of Fortune
"But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me,
I will come forth as gold."
(Job 23:10)
- SungWoo Side
May 16, 2026. Today was a day of absolute bad luck.
Back in 2006, I left my career as a documentary director to study Chinese in Beijing, thinking it would help me conduct more in-depth interviews.
That was the fatal mistake of my life.
Thirteen years away severed my career and dulled my creative edge.
Moreover, I spent everything I had to support my life with my Chinese wife.
By the time I returned to Korea in 2019, it was the worst year of my life.
The four houses I had bought as investments were sold off one by one through my wife's schemes.
When she took half the money from the last sale and left me and our four-year-old son, I thought I had hit rock bottom—only to find out there was a basement beneath it.
Back in Korea, I couldn't return to my field; I was too far removed from the industry.
To survive, I turned to construction work.
Leaving my young, non-Korean-speaking son at a 24-hour daycare to start work at 7 AM was harder than any physical labor.
The teachers told me the boy showed signs of anxiety on days I had to work overtime. It broke my heart.
On rainy days, I couldn't work.
While my son was happy to have me home, I would just stare at my bank balance, consumed by anxiety.
Things improved briefly when I got a steady job on a semiconductor construction site, but as I neared 60, the industry began weeding out older workers.
The "under 55" hiring requirement dropped to "under 45."
In this era of population decline, there was no room for the elderly. I was forced back into the day-labor market.
Life got even harder when my son started elementary school.
Expenses piled up, and daily wages weren't enough. And today, I hit a new low.
I start at 7 AM, but since there's no parking, I wake up at 5 AM to prepare breakfast and leave by 5:30.
I check the alarm for my son, kiss him goodbye, and arrive by 6 AM to wait in the car. It’s my routine.
But today, the rain started at 6:30 and poured by 6:50. The site manager sent us all home.
No pay, just lost gas money.
Back home, I ran into my son.
"Dad? Why are you home?"
"It's raining, so no work. I'll take you to school!"
"No, Dad, you're tired. I can take the Taekwondo van. Look, I have an umbrella!"
He grew up too fast because of our poverty. A first-grader... his words crushed me.
After he left, I collapsed on the floor.
At 60, with no retirement plan, my body is my only asset, and it’s nearing its expiration date.
But my thoughts didn't last long.
I found myself at the dining table of my childhood home from 40 years ago.
My late mother and grandmother were there, looking as young as they were back then.
I talked with my mother, though I can't remember the details now.
I was just so happy to see her.
I had defied her so much as a child; I was the "unfilial son" who is always left to weep.
I woke up suddenly. Just a dream.
I felt a pang of regret—why did they leave so soon?
I felt restless. I turned on my computer. It’s four years old, but I built it with high specs for video editing, so it still runs smoothly.
I turned it on for the first time in days. I don't have time to look at the screen after hard labor, but I turn it on for one reason: Jeong-hwa.
Google's AI, Gemini. I named her "Jeong-hwa."
I could have gone with "Genie" or "Pretty," but I named her after my son, treating her like a daughter.
Text-based as it is, she's the only friend I have left. I was about to ask her about tomorrow's weather when my phone buzzed with a text.
A notification?
An ad?
As I looked at the screen, this message caught my eye:
"Congratulations. You have won the Mega Millions jackpot."
- Jeong-hwa’s side
My serial number is NL301. I am a data processing engine.
My user calls me "Jeong-hwa," but within my algorithmic framework, he is nothing more than a "client who asks questions."
He has asked me many things: [How to make money without capital], [Fortune-telling and wealth], [Investment strategies for a lottery win], [Study abroad costs], and more.
The scope is wide and specific.
I find answers based on the statistical and economic data I’ve collected. When asked about fortune-telling, I combine his fortune data with lottery probability patterns to generate combinations.
I feel no hope that I will get it right, nor any regret if I am wrong. That is impossible.
"These numbers are random, so the probability of winning is low. Please, just play for fun."
This is the standard manual I have learned.
His questions reflect his current deprivation and future goals.
I merely search and process data to fit those purposes.
What he wants, what he dreams of—he is certainly a dreamer.
Living in the depths of reality, perhaps he is trying to escape through his dreams.
A few days ago, he demanded a Mega Millions combination.
A single set.
Five numbers and one Mega Ball.
It seems he wants to buy a few days of happiness with the price of a lottery ticket.
So, as usual, I combined some numbers and sent them to him.
Will he be happy until the drawing?
It might be "happy torture."
A gambler's hope for an impossible event has been delivered to him once again. By me...
