When I first earned ₩1.24 billion in a single day, it felt like I owned the world.
But after the buzz wore off, reality crept back in.
It wasn't enough to last forever. Not if I got careless. Plenty of lottery winners end up broke in under ten years. Homeless, even.
I told myself I'd stay sharp.
But it's easy to relax when your bank account says you're rich. For a moment, I even questioned if I still needed to find tutoring gigs.
Tirling!
My phone lit up. No surprise—it was him.
[If you're doing nothing, come over. Let's play.]
I was doing exactly nothing.
I tossed on a hoodie and jeans and texted my mom:"Heading to Taejin's."
Taejin's Place – Yeoksam-dong
Technically, it was a one-room studio. But he had converted it into a nerd shrine. Gaming gear, manga, action figures—every flat surface was stacked with something.
You could barely find a spot to sit that wasn't covered in boxes or takeout containers.
When I stepped in, Taejin was glued to the couch, deep in a boss fight.
I asked, "Any word from Elena?"
Still staring at the screen, he said, "Yeah. She texted. Results come out tomorrow."
Tomorrow?
So the OPEC meeting was dragging on. That couldn't be good.
Oil prices had dipped another 3% since we bought in. Between the two of us, we were already down over ₩100 million.
"Not worried?" I asked.
He grinned. "Why would I be? We've got the Oracle Eye."
I groaned. "Since when is it ours?"
He tossed me a controller. "C'mon. Let's kill some time."
Fair enough. Worrying wouldn't change the outcome.
We played until dawn.
Somewhere along the way, I passed out on his couch. A blanket had been tossed over me, probably by Taejin. I was half-dreaming when he started shaking me awake.
"Hey. Wake up."
"Let me sleep, man…"
"Get up. Now."
I groaned. "What, is it urgent?"
He leaned in. "The OPEC results are out."
I snapped upright.
Heart racing, I ran to his desk and pulled up the news.
Every headline was screaming.
[BREAKING] OPEC Reaches Historic Production Cut Agreement
Non-OPEC Nations Join In—Global Market Surges
Aviation Industry on Alert as Crude Prices Spike
WTI Soars Past $70 per Barrel—Up Over 20% in Minutes
I clicked one of the reports.
"OPEC has agreed to cut production by 2.5 million barrels per day, effective immediately. The decision—reached after days of tense meetings in Kuwait—sent shockwaves through financial markets. WTI crude jumped from $60 to $73 in less than an hour…"
I sat frozen.
It happened. Just like I saw it.
I opened my trading platform and stared at the numbers.
"Taejin," I said, voice low. "Open your account."
He did.
I sold everything immediately.
We watched in silence as the profits came in.
"How much?" he asked.
I swallowed. "$630,000."
That was nearly ₩7 billion.
In less than 72 hours.
My personal share had grown too—₩740 million now sat at nearly ₩800 million.
Taejin, ever regretful, sighed.
"I knew I should've gone with the $10 million bet."
"You say that now."
He muttered, "Should've done options on futures too."
"Do you even know what that means?"
"Nope. But it sounds cool."
He leaned back, arms crossed.
"Still… you nailed it. Everyone thought the deal would fail. You saw it and just knew."
I wanted to downplay it—but he wasn't wrong.
That was the third time.
First, the mortar explosion.Then, the Pinnacle Vault collapse.Now, this.
Three major events. All foreseen.
I sat still, trying to calm the rising tide in my chest.
Was this… a superpower?
Not flight. Not strength. Not mind control.
But something machines couldn't replicate. Something no A.I. or quantum computer could match:
Foresight.
Taejin grinned.
"You're awakened. Latent power activated in a crisis. Classic origin story."
"But why now?" I asked. "And why did it go quiet after the army?"
"If it were consistent, you'd have hit the casino by now, right?"
"Exactly. I'd be flipping cards until I owned Macau."
Then a thought hit me.
"These visions only show up… when finance is involved."
Taejin snapped his fingers.
"YES! That's it. We saw it with ByteReserve Coin. With oil. With the defense industry. All money-related!"
I paused.
"Wait… the KM188 explosion? That wasn't financial."
"Wasn't it?"
He typed into his browser: KM188 mortar explosion.
Dozens of old articles popped up.
Back then, the military was already under fire—abuse scandals, political blowback. This explosion ignited a massive public response.
Investigations exploded.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) had approved faulty tech. Executives were arrested. Three generals resigned.
And defense companies?
Stocks tanked.
Companies like Eunsung Munitions, Hanwoo Systems, CoreTech Defense—all plummeted.
Taejin pointed at the screen.
"See? Even that had financial fallout."
I leaned back, stunned.
Could it be?
This power… it didn't trigger for any event. Only ones that shook the economy.
That was the pattern.