2010.
South Korea was already changing. Seoul was climbing toward the future—shining towers, neon streets, smartphones in every hand. But Daniel Park's hometown was far behind. Old shops with peeling signs, narrow streets, worn-out apartments. Here, poverty wasn't an exception—it was normal.
Inside one of those cramped apartments, Jinwoo opened his eyes in Daniel Park's battered ten-year-old body.
The wallpaper was peeling. The fan creaked with every spin. The small refrigerator hummed like it might break at any moment. This was his new home.
His hand clenched into a fist. The bruises on his arm pulsed in pain, but his mind burned brighter than ever.
(So this is 2010… A world on the edge of the digital age. And I am at the bottom. Perfect. From here, I'll climb again.)
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The First Secret Step
Daniel's hometown looked dull at first, but Jinwoo saw cracks where money could flow.
PC Bangs (Internet Cafés): Packed with sweaty kids yelling over StarCraft II. Cigarette smoke clung to the air. To them, games were fun. To him, the rows of glowing monitors meant opportunity.
Manhwa shops: Students lined up every week for comics and posters. Kids wasted lunch money on fads that died in a month. Jinwoo watched closely. Trends… cycles… demand. If they spend, I can take.
Bookstores: Shelves full of forgotten titles. While others grabbed manga, his eyes lingered on thick volumes—business, law, computers. Tools for sharpening a new empire.
Street stalls: Vendors barking for customers, their voices hoarse. Struggling, hustling, surviving. Every deal, every haggle, was a lesson.
(Capital first. Even kings start with coin.)
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The Cruelty of Society
On the way home, Jinwoo saw what Daniel had lived with all along.
Kids mocking each other's clothes. A boy being shaken down for pocket money. A shop owner sliding a bribe into a policeman's hand. A rich family sneering at the poor, their imported car shining brighter than the people around them.
The divide was everywhere. Cruelty was normal.
Jinwoo didn't flinch. His lips curved into a faint smirk.
(This world… unfair, filthy, corrupt. Good. That's exactly the kind of battlefield where I rise.)
---
Mother's Smile
The door to the Park apartment creaked open. The smell of cheap stew filled the air.
His mother stood at the sink, hands raw from detergent, scrubbing until her knuckles were red. Her back was bent, her shoulders heavy.
Yet when she turned and saw him—her smile bloomed.
"Welcome home, Daniel-ah. Dinner's almost ready."
Jinwoo's chest tightened. In his past life, he was an orphan. No one waited for him. No one cooked for him. No one said welcome home. Even when he ruled billions, his heart had been hollow.
Now, here stood a mother who loved her son with everything she had, despite the poverty, despite the shame, despite her broken body.
His voice shook. "Omma…"
"Yes, Daniel?" she said, her tired face glowing with warmth.
"One day," Jinwoo said, his small fists clenched, eyes sharp with fire, "I'll make sure you never have to work again. Nobody will laugh at us. Nobody will look down on you. I'll study hard. I'll become rich. Strong. I'll protect you."
She chuckled softly, brushing his hair back with wet hands. "My silly boy… just be healthy. That's enough for me."
But Jinwoo's vow wasn't childish. It was a declaration. A prophecy.
(I was betrayed once. I lost everything once. Never again. Not when I have this mother. I'll raise her so high, no one will ever dare to mock her.)
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Resolve in the Dark
That night, lying on his thin mattress, Jinwoo stared at the cracked ceiling. The bruises on his body throbbed, reminders of bullies who mocked him, of a father who abandoned them, of a world that spat on the weak.
(To protect her, I need wealth. To protect myself, I need strength. To destroy anyone who dares mock us—I need both.)
A cruel smirk stretched across his face.
The world didn't know it yet. But in this year, 2010, the seeds of an empire were being planted in the body of Daniel Park.
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🔥 End of Chapter 6