Beneath the glow of the streetlight, our long, burning first kiss finally came to an end.
I was still holding her waist, breathing hard.
Jiae shyly buried her face in my chest, and I could feel her trembling clearly against me.
My heart felt like it was about to burst.
All the regrets and loneliness that eighteen years had piled upon me melted away like snow with that single kiss.
"..."
"..."
For a long while, we stayed silent, sharing nothing but each other's warmth.
It was awkward—yet unbearably full.
After some time, she slowly lifted her head from my arms.
Her cheeks were flushed a soft peach color.
"I should… really go in now. My little sister's waiting."
"Ah… right."
I forced myself to let her go, hiding my reluctance.
"Thanks for walking me home, oppa."
"It's nothing. Get inside safely."
"Mm. You too. Text me when you get home."
She waved lightly and hurried toward her house.
I stood there blankly until her figure disappeared completely.
The softness of her lips and the sweet scent she left behind felt unreal, like a dream.
Without realizing it, I touched my lips with my fingers.
It felt as if her warmth was still there.
I laughed foolishly and looked up at the night sky.
The sky of 2007 was filled with stars.
All the way home, it felt like I was walking on clouds.
My steps were strangely light, and everything in the world looked beautiful.
The streetlights felt warmer than usual, and even the faces of passersby seemed to carry smiles.
Even the cold night air wasn't enough to cool my racing heart.
It felt like I had everything.
A pure happiness that couldn't be compared to any achievement money had ever given me wrapped around my entire body.
Even after arriving at my officetel, I didn't sit down at the computer right away.
I didn't feel like it.
The cold, number-filled monitor felt like it would ruin the sweetness of our moment.
I didn't want her scent anywhere near my battlefield.
I took a shower and lay down on my soft bed.
Staring at the ceiling, I replayed today's events over and over.
Her smile.
Her voice.
And her lips.
Her awkward yet sincere confession—and the kiss that had stopped my heart—played vividly in my mind like a slow-motion video.
"Han Jiae…"
In the darkness, I whispered her name.
Just her name alone made my once-empty world feel full.
For the first time since regressing, I saw the possibility that my life could be filled with something other than money.
I tossed and turned all night, finally falling asleep just before dawn.
The next morning.
I overslept.
I must've slept deeply enough not to hear my alarm at all.
I jumped up and immediately checked my slide phone.
No missed calls.
No new messages.
Pouting in disappointment, I stuck out my lips.
Should I text her first?
After hesitating for a while, I finally sent a simple message.
Good morning.
And then came the hellish wait, where one minute felt like an hour.
I stared at my phone, waiting for her reply.
About ten minutes later—
Ding.
The message alert sounded.
I tapped it almost reflexively.
Good morning to you too, honey. Did you get home safely last night? ♡
Honey.
And a heart.
Just those two things sent me rolling around on my bed, grinning like I'd won the world.
To my forty-nine-year-old self, it was childish and ridiculous.
But right now, I was enjoying that childishness with everything I had.
After that, we exchanged trivial messages for over an hour.
Did you sleep well?
Did you eat breakfast?
What are you doing today?
Then, suddenly, she asked:
[What are you doing today? Going to the library again?]
[Yeah… probably?]
[Eww, it's the weekend. Don't just study—come hang out with me!]
[Today?]
[Yeah! My sister has plans today, so she won't be home. Want to come over and make tteokbokki together?]
Her sudden invitation left me speechless.
Her house.
The place where she lived with her sister.
Swallowing dryly, I typed back with trembling fingers.
[…Okay. Sounds good.]
And just like that, I was about to experience the first "visiting my girlfriend's house" of my second life.
As the time approached, I couldn't sit still.
What should I wear?
How should I do my hair?
I didn't think I'd been this nervous even on my first date with my wife eighteen years ago.
My forty-nine-year-old soul scoffed—but my thirty-one-year-old heart was running wild.
I couldn't go empty-handed.
I stopped by a nearby mart and bought the fruit she said she liked and a small cake.
I lingered in the fruit section for a long time.
Should I get strawberries to match her pale skin?
Or oranges that resembled her bright smile?
It was a silly worry—but I didn't hate it.
Her place was a normal villa not far from mine.
A familiar neighborhood—yet today, everything felt new and special.
Before ringing the doorbell, I took a deep breath.
My heart felt like it might explode.
When I pressed the bell, her voice came through.
"Who is it?"
"It's me."
The door opened, and she smiled brightly at me in her comfortable clothes.
"My honey's here?"
I followed her inside awkwardly.
The house, clearly shared by two women, greeted me with cute decorations and a pleasant scent.
A small potted plant sat atop the shoe cabinet, and photos of the sisters hung on the walls.
That warmth eased my heart.
"You know, next week is our MT already. Time really flies, huh?"
She spoke while making tteokbokki, sounding a little wistful.
"Yeah. Already."
"And two weeks after that is the graduation performance. Swing Baby's almost over."
"You're signing up for the next course, Lindy Baby, right?"
"Of course. If I'm going to dance with you, I've gotta work even harder."
At my shameless reply, she turned and laughed.
"I'm not taking lessons anymore. I'll just come out for socials sometimes. But… I can still help you practice once in a while."
Hearing that made me feel like I'd gained the entire world.
A one-night-two-day MT.
And the graduation performance.
Time with her stretched out before me.
We talked happily about our future plans.
The tteokbokki she made was better than any feast I'd ever had.
Spicy and sweet sauce, chewy rice cakes, crisp vegetables.
I devoured it like I hadn't eaten in days.
We sat side by side on the sofa, leaning into each other as we watched TV.
On the screen was Infinite Challenge, the most popular variety show of 2007.
It was the Autumn Sports Day special—the one I remembered.
Watching the members flop around in the mud trying to break gourds, we clutched our stomachs laughing.
"This is so funny. Why are those ahjussis trying so hard?"
Jiae said, tears welling in her eyes.
Watching their clumsy earnestness, I laughed too.
She naturally leaned her head against my shoulder.
I wrapped an arm around her.
The soft scent of shampoo and her warmth seeped into me.
Though the TV was still blaring with laughter, neither of us was watching anymore.
I slowly turned to look at her resting on my shoulder.
She was already looking up at me.
Our gazes tangled in midair.
Without thinking, I leaned closer.
She didn't close her eyes.
She just looked at me—as if ready to accept everything.
In those deep, clear eyes, there was only me.
Our lips met again.
If the first kiss had been innocent excitement, the second was deeper—hotter.
We forgot the TV.
Forgot the world.
I wished this moment would last forever.
That night, I stayed late at her place.
We sat together on the sofa, shoulders touching, flipping through meaningless TV channels.
We didn't need words.
Just being together was enough.
"I should really go now."
When the clock passed eleven, I stood up reluctantly.
"Already? Stay a little longer."
She tugged on my sleeve, pouting like a child.
"No. I have to wake up early tomorrow."
"Why? You're unemployed."
"Even unemployed people are busy."
I teased her, lightly flicking her nose.
"I'll walk you."
She grabbed her coat naturally.
"It's fine. You live right there."
"No. It's dark—dangerous."
In the end, I couldn't win against her stubbornness.
We walked side by side through the night streets.
She laced her fingers through mine, and I squeezed her hand tightly.
Against the cold night air, our joined hands were warm.
On the way back, my thoughts were tangled.
Dreaming of a sweet future with her—while preparing for the massive storm ahead.
We arrived in front of my officetel.
"I had a really great time today. Get home safely."
"You too. I'll text you tomorrow."
We exchanged reluctant goodbyes.
I kissed her forehead lightly and turned away—
When she tugged my sleeve.
"Why?"
Without a word, she stood on her toes and kissed my lips again.
A short, regret-filled goodbye kiss.
I held her waist and savored the moment.
After sending her off, I headed back inside alone.
During the short elevator ride to the 12th floor, my world flipped once more.
From sweet romance—
To a ruthless battlefield.
The moment I entered, I sat straight down at the computer.
My world returned to cold reality.
The monitor overflowed with cascading red numbers.
[Breaking News: U.S. subprime mortgage crisis spreads… Dow Jones -3.1%]
"..."
I swallowed hard.
It had begun.
The fragile peace of the past few weeks shattered.
I immediately logged into my futures account.
Without hesitation, I poured all ₩15 million I had into a KOSPI200 futures short position.
With leverage, the total exposure exceeded ₩100 million.
From now on, every one-point drop in the KOSPI would earn me tens of thousands of won.
And every one-point rise would melt away everything I owned.
This wasn't just investing.
It was a gamble—staking everything on the collapse of the world.
With trembling fingers, I pressed Confirm Order.
[Sell order successfully executed.]
I leaned back deeply in my chair.
All strength drained from my body.
The dice had been cast.
There was nothing left for me to do—
Except pray that the future I knew wasn't wrong.
I stared blankly at the crashing U.S. market all night.
And waited for the massive bloodstorm that would sweep through Korea the next morning.