Jinwoon gave a deep sigh of relief. He just had his 24th job interview in 2 years. 'This is it. I'm sure l'll get this one.' He turned and looked at the large building. He needed this job to make his dreams come true. He was more than confident that he had done a great job this time. The representatives had asked him the most questions and they had laughed at his jokes. There was no way for him not to get hired. He looked up to the sky with a smile before walking to the subway station. The next day he got an email telling him to come to work the next monday. Jinwoon read the words over and over again. After nearly two years of job interviews he had finally landed a job! Jinwoon's plans were finally beginning to take shape.
Two years ago Jinwoo had received his University degree after working really hard with no family support. Unlike other people Jinwoon's life wasn't as straightforward. He is an orphan, who got adopted but his adoptive parents were cold and greedy. All he knew about his real parents was that his mother and father were both just 18 when they made him and they were not ready to take care of him. They had given him away hoping that someone else would give him a better life. He got adopted days after arriving at the orphanage but his first adopted parents weren't good with babies. His second parents brought him back when they discovered that they were pregnant. The third parent brought him back after his wife died, saying he couldn't take care of a small child alone. Jinwoon would get adopted but brought back until he was 10.
His new adopted parents already had four children of their own. Their children were grown and were off to college, army or were married. On the first day they first brought him to the couples restaurant where Jinwoon was taught how to prepare vegetables. Jinwoon, scared of being sent back just smiled and did what he was told. Jinwoon's new life consisted of waking at dawn, going to the restaurant and helping prepare the food. The couple's house was just 10 minutes from the restaurant. He would then return back home to make breakfast for him and his new parents before going to school. After school he returned to the restaurant and helped with the cooking and serving before returning finally home around 10 at night. When he arrived he would have to make dinner and then he could finally start on his school work. Even with such a workload he managed to stay in the top 20 of his class.
At school he didn't have much of a present but his teachers thought he was a good kid. His teachers would turn a blind, if he forgot to do his homework. When he was ready to graduate his homeschool teacher found him a good University in the capital, where he could get a full scholarship. His adopted parents refused to let him go because they would be losing out on free labour but Jinwoon pleaded with them for weeks, only after he promised to send money for his replacement did they finally agree to let him go. Since he was late with submitting his application, there were no free rooms left at the University. That meant that he had to find a place near his University and that he now had to find a job to pay for his rent.
With the help of a classmate, Jinwoon opened his first bank account and managed to find a room where breakfast and lunch was included. After years of waking up around dawn he could finally sleep in late. He even found an easy weekend-job in a cafe/bar that paid enough to cover his rent and the payment for his replacement back home. He still had to work hard but it wasn't as gruelling as with his adoptive parents. He even managed to make some friends and go on blind dates with girls. Everything was going great until in his third year, when he was called for military duty. Due to some glitch in the system he was assigned to the Air Force, meaning that he had to spend 3 months longer than his peers. When he asked if they could change it because it was a computer mistake, the Air Force administration told him that everything was already fixed and they couldn't change it.
Being in the Navy was just like being back home but at least they gave him 3 meals a day and a pay. Jinwoon didn't have a hard time adjusting to the Air Force but he had hoped that his adoptive family would at least call him while he was there. He would get jealous when he saw the family of his teammates worrying about them. The only people that came were the few friends he had made in University. His teammate would ask if his family was going to visit. After making up multiple excuses, he just told everybody that he was an orphan. He wasn't really lying and it made the others shut up. Finally after 24 months he was released from the Air Force. Instead of going home to rest, he went straight back to his University. He didn't have much money, so he decided to stay on-campus. He started to do parcel delivery work on the weekends and at night.
When his adoptive parents found out that he had been released they called and demanded that he pay for the 24 months that he was gone. Jinwoon told them that he was now an adult and he wasn't in any way obligated to pay. His adoptive parents threatened to disown him and that he wasn't welcome in their house anymore but he told them that he didn't care. They weren't his real parents anyways and they never treated him like their real son. After hanging up Jinwoon started to panic. This was the first time in his life that he had stood up against these people and even though he was proud of himself, he was more scared of what would happen. Would they try to find him and demand the money? Would they force him out of school? He sat down on his bed until his roommate arrived.
When asked what was going on, Jinwoon didn't tell him the whole story, just that he had a fall out with his parents and that they were planning on disowning him. His roommate laughed and told him and told him not to worry. His parents tell that at least twice a week. Jinwoon shook his head explaining what his parents were definitely going to do. His roommate just shrugged and explained that it wasn't much to worry about. He just wasn't eligible for any inheritance and of course he wasn't part of the family anymore. His roommate told him to wait a few weeks and then to check if they were true to their words. He assured Jinwoon that they were just messing about. In the end he waited until four months later. At the city hall he discovered that his adoptive parents had disowned after he turned 21. Instead of feeling relieved he felt disappointment and sadness. They had never recognised him as their own son.
Days went by and his disappointment and sadness turned into anger and hate. They had used him as free labour for years! Even making him pay even though he wasn't legally their child anymore. He wanted revenge! He came up with an unrealistic plan but he didn't care. After finishing University, he would find a job at a large company and work his way to the top. He would make sure that he finds himself a gorgeous girl from a rich family and make sure that her parents would see him as the perfect son-in-law. After they get married he would use their money to buy his adoptive family's restaurants and kick them out on the streets. With his silly plan in his head he started to make sure that he would graduate with high marks.
Jinwoon's plan was silly and unrealistic because most girls only saw him as a good friend or as a younger brother, even if he was older. Jinwoon's looks didn't help in the love department either. He wasn't a tall man, just shy of 1.70 meter, most girls he met were around his height some were even taller. Jinwoon wasn't ugly but he wasn't handsome but what made girls not want to call him back wasl he was bad at talking. He would get tongue tied and say weird stuff and awkward stuff. One of his friends had given him the advice to just talk a little and listen. Jinwoon had taken this advice and would say just a few words. Girls thought that he was a good-listener but they could never get to know him better.
Jinwoon worked really hard. He managed to bring his GPA to a 4.8. He was voted valedictorian but when he started to send out his resume he discovered that his high GPA amounted to nothing if you haven't gone to a foreign High School or University. He didn't have any alumni in the companies he applied for, meaning that he didn't even get a reply back. But now he has managed to get a job through his own hard work. His plan of revenge was one step closer.