Chapter 118: Impossible Thing
TL: Aniea
“.......”
“.......”
Kim Eun-ha and I held back our words for quite a while. That’s how unbelievable the truth was.
Receiving a wristwatch as a gift from the top chaebol Chairman in Korea without even realizing it, how could that possibly make sense?
‘Come to think of it, even meeting Eun-ha ssi in the first place doesn’t make sense…’
In this world, illogical and nonsensical things happen more often than you'd think.
For example, the billionaire “Andrew Lippi” who could afford to buy an entire island gets arrested by the police for stealing a coffee pot from a local mart.
Or “Roy Sullivan”, who was struck by lightning seven times, something a normal person might never experience once in their life, and survived to be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
‘Even without going that far…’
Just look at how dozens of people win the lottery every week in our country alone. No matter how low the probability, it's never zero.
Naturally, such events don’t always come with some convincing narrative.
They happen randomly.
At their own whim.
Like what people call “fate”.
“Eun-ha ssi. My hand suddenly feels heavy.”
“Well, that’s understandable. If that wristwatch you’re wearing is real, just the release price alone would easily exceed 1 billion won.”
Tremble tremble tremble-
My hand began trembling without me even realizing it. This wasn’t acting. It was a sincere, heartfelt tremble rising from the depths of my being.
Although I’d gotten quite used to the lives of the rich thanks to Kim Eun-ha, a 1 billion won watch was still too much for me.
Even Kim Eun-ha, who was a ‘real’ rich person unlike me, was subtly keeping her distance from the watch.
“Could you take this off for me?”
“You’ve been wearing it just fine until now.”
“That’s because I didn’t know… I didn’t know it was real!”
“I don’t know what kind of line that is, but cracking jokes shamelessly in a situation like this… should I say that’s so typical of you, Woo-ju ssi?”
“That’s my charm.”
“Well, it’s not wrong.”
Kim Eun-ha nodded obediently for once. Embarrassed by her unexpected reaction, I scratched my cheek and quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway. It’s not confirmed yet that our dear watch here is real, right? I shouldn't get ahead of myself and end up tripping over my own feet. First, we need to verify the facts.”
“It’ll take some time, but we can contact the Patek Philippe headquarters in Switzerland. Before that, explain in detail how you got that watch.”
“Hmm….”
I closed my eyes gently and fell into thought. Fortunately, it wasn’t such an old memory, so the whole story came to mind faster than I expected.
“There’s not much different from what I told you before. While looking for a watch to use in the theater, I was wandering around and found an old watch shop in an alley.”
“How did you even end up there?”
“As you know, I didn’t have money at the time. And the director didn’t give me any money to buy a watch, so I had to search on foot a lot.”
Of course, no one really cared about a watch that wasn’t even that noticeable to the audience.
It was just a kind of self-satisfaction, I wanted to do perfectly even the few tasks given to me.
But even replicas, depending on their quality and the original’s release price, often soared to prices comparable to luxury goods.
“Finding a product that satisfied both the quality and price I wanted was practically impossible. I was about to give up….”
“And that’s when you found the watch shop?”
“That’s right.”
Looking back now, it was a store that didn’t even have a proper signboard.
The front window was plastered with old newspapers and ads that must’ve been there for decades. Anyone could tell it was a poorly maintained place.
“I thought the same thing at first, what even is this?”
While zoning out, I had wandered in quite deep. When I came to, I was in a very secluded alley.
Most of the nearby shops had already gone out of business, and there were barely any lights on. That gave the alley an overall eerie atmosphere.
“That’s probably why I got more curious.”
Someone was running a business there, alone, with the lights on. Of course I couldn’t help but feel intrigued.
At the same time, I also thought that it might be a dangerous shop, but I was so mentally cornered that I didn’t have the energy to weigh the risks.
“So I peeked inside, and through the gaps between the newspapers and flyers, I saw watches neatly lined up. In that moment, it felt like a thunderbolt crashed inside my head!”
“...That’s obviously suspicious.”
“I didn’t feel that way at the time though. Anyway, despite the completely unkempt exterior, the watches on display were so clean it felt out of place.”
“Hmm.”
Kim Eun-ha, now completely immersed in my story, nodded with interest.
“So you went into the shop?”
“I tried to.”
“Huh?”
“The door was locked.”
There were definitely lights on inside, and I could sense someone’s presence. I carefully knocked and called out for the owner, but no one came out.
“So what did you do?”
“I waited.”
“...What?”
“I just sat down in front of the door and kept waiting.”
Kim Eun-ha tilted her head as if to say, what are you talking about? I scratched my cheek a bit awkwardly and added an explanation.
“I figured whoever was inside would come out eventually. It’s not like I had anywhere else to go anyway. I just thought of it as the end of the line and waited.”
“...Usually, that means they’re not accepting customers.”
“Well, that’s true. But I was desperate at the time. I thought the only cards I could play were effort and perseverance.”
“.......”
Truthfully, there was no real need for me to go that far. It was more like I had been bewitched by something.
I instinctively sensed that the watches on display were not ordinary. There was an aura I hadn’t felt in any of the many watch shops I’d been to.
The designs themselves were as simple as could be, but maybe what fascinated me was how every single watch was ticking perfectly in sync without a second’s discrepancy.
With nothing else to do in front of the shop, I just kept staring blankly at the display case.
Even though I had been staring at the watches the whole time.
I completely lost track of time.
-Who are you?
How long had I waited like that?
At some point, the firmly locked door opened, and an elderly man with a head full of white hair walked out from inside the shop.
But despite his white hair, the old man’s back was perfectly straight with not the slightest bend. His clothes were also very neat.
At the same time, his deeply sunken black pupils gave off a sense of depth that made it impossible to guess his thoughts, and he exuded an aura that could never be taken lightly.
“Was that person the Chairman?”
“No. Definitely not.”
“Huh? How can you be so sure?”
“I’ve searched the major figures of Mirae Group related to you on the internet before. His facial features were completely different from the Chairman’s.”
Someone like the Chairman of Mirae Group could never avoid media exposure even if he wanted to.
Just typing ‘Kim Seok-ho’ into the search engine brings up thousands of related photos. I’ve never met him in person, but I’m quite familiar with his face.
‘It would be weirder if I didn’t recognize him.’
It’s not like I have face blindness or anything.
Above all, the old man from the watch shop had a unique appearance, even if I were to bump into him on the street, I’d definitely recognize him.
Hmm-
But perhaps because of the precedent where I didn’t recognize her right away, Kim Eun-ha gave me a doubtful look through half-lidded eyes.
“...I’m really sure about this. Even his build was totally different. As far as I know, Chairman Kim Seok-ho is on the shorter side, but that man was eye-level with me.”
“Hmm? Ah, no way....”
Suddenly, Kim Eun-ha’s eyes widened. As if something occurred to her, she mumbled to herself, “That can’t be…”
“Do you know who it was?”
“Hmm.... There’s someone named ‘Butler Kim’ who worked with the Chairman for a very long time. From what I vaguely remember, the impression I got of him is similar to what you described.”
“Oh, then....”
“But it’s impossible.”
“What?”
“He passed away a few years ago.”
Ah-
At Kim Eun-ha’s continued words, I quietly nodded. After all, it hadn’t even been a year since I visited that watch shop.
In the end, it meant that meeting that ‘Butler Kim’ was physically impossible.
“Anyway. What happened next?”
“After that…”
I naturally continued explaining. I told the elderly man, who seemed to be the owner of the watch shop, about my situation, and he let me into the store.
“What was displayed outside was just a small portion.”
There was nothing to see but watches.
The difference was that, in addition to simple wristwatches, the shop was overflowing with various kinds of timepieces with an antique feel, wall clocks, grandfather clocks, and more.
Not only that, but all of those clocks were showing exactly the same time. Even I, in that moment, got a slight chill.
-Please choose the one you want.
-Excuse me, but may I ask what the price range is? Even to an untrained eye like mine, they all look quite expensive.
-I don’t intend to accept payment, so don’t worry and choose freely. It is a small gift from me to a customer who has come all the way here.
-What!? No, but still...
The old man’s intense gaze, as if to say no further compromise would be allowed. I realized I couldn’t change his mind.
So I silently looked over the watches and picked one that immediately caught my eye.
-Hoho. You have a good eye.
-If it’s too expensive, I can choose another one...
-Take it. If no guest had come, it would have simply faded away in this dusty place without ever fulfilling its original purpose.
-Hearing you say that makes it feel even more burdensome, though.
Hoho-
When I spoke honestly, the old man burst into a hearty laugh. Unlike the smile he had shown earlier, this one carried a distinct warmth.
-A ship is safest when it is in the harbor. But just as that is not the reason for a ship’s existence, a watch too has its proper role to play. Perhaps this one, too, had been yearning for its owner all this time.
-……
I remained silent.
For some reason, the old man’s words struck me deeply. After a moment of contemplation, I carefully reached out and accepted the watch.
“…So that’s why you didn’t sell it?”
“I didn’t know its actual value at the time.”
“You deliberately didn’t try to find out. If you had known the true worth of that watch, given your circumstances, you would’ve had to sell it, for your parents’ sake, if nothing else.”
Ahem-
At Kim Eun-ha’s remark, which pierced straight to my true feelings, I gave an awkward cough and looked away. She let out a long sigh.
“Do you remember where that watch shop was?”
“Of course. But when I went back to repay the favor, the shop had already been cleared out and disappeared. So I doubt there’s much point.”
“Still, I want to check it with my own eyes. There’s a chance that man really might have had some connection to Chairman Kim Seok-ho.”
“…Well, sure. Let’s do that.”
Since Kim Eun-ha’s demeanor had become subtly serious for some time now, I obediently nodded in agreement with her suggestion.
*****
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