Ryu Ji-ho fished into his pants pocket, then turned it inside out, revealing with unmistakable clarity that he was completely out of money.
"Wo-chan..."
Go Woo-chan, who had been seething with frustration and grinding his teeth, mimicked Ryu Ji-ho's gesture. He too turned his pocket inside out, proving that his own was just as empty.
"Beggar!"
The gang members immediately flaunted their money with a show of pride towards Park Kwang-ryul.
"When you see your older brothers later, make sure to bow ninety degrees."
"...!"
"Otherwise, you'll be done for that very day."
Park Kwang-ryul spat on the ground with a gesture of sheer arrogance. It was as though spitting was a signature move of bullies, whether they were confronting little kids or adults. The gang members laughed loudly and hurried to follow Park Kwang-ryul.
"This is really infuriating…"
At that moment, it was unclear whether this issue would remain a minor annoyance or escalate into something much bigger. However, after the encounter, the atmosphere grew increasingly uncomfortable.
"Huuuh…"
If anyone claimed that Ryu Ji-ho wasn't upset, that would be a lie. At that moment, he was just a quiet and passive student—a seventeen-year-old with a lanky frame standing around 174 cm tall.
'I can't keep going like this. I need to change!'
Somehow, he felt as if he had been transported back to the past. He couldn't afford to repeat the same mistakes. This time, he had to face reality head-on, not run away from it.
Go Woo-chan, still fuming, stared in the direction where Park Kwang-ryul and his group had disappeared, his teeth clenched with simmering rage.
"You're angry, feel it's unfair, and hold a grudge, right?"
"Of course! I even want to chase them down right now and beat them to a pulp!"
"Don't go overboard. Do you want to end up in jail? Remember today. Someday, become someone who can't be treated lightly by anyone… someone who commands respect from all."
Ryu Ji-ho spoke with a serious tone. However, his words seemed out of place given the situation. His friends responded with mere finger gestures to their temples, as if Ryu Ji-ho had lost his mind.
****
It had only been a few days since Ryu Ji-ho returned to high school, but the struggle to adjust felt heavier with each passing day. As a new student, he found himself faced with one challenge after another, all of them seemingly endless. From the harsh punishments meted out by the vice-principal to being extorted by a group of bullies, every day at school felt suffocating, as if the very air conspired against him.
When the sharp slap from the vice-principal landed on his cheek, the pain he felt wasn't just physical; it sliced deep into his soul. Back then, physical discipline in schools was still commonplace, and fights between students were nothing out of the ordinary. But for Ji-ho, all of this felt incredibly odd. In such a short time, he experienced things that would usually span an entire semester.
He began to wonder if there was something bigger behind it all. Was the force that had flung him back in time deliberately orchestrating these events to shield him from the psychological trauma of time travel? Or perhaps it was the universe's way of sending him a message?
"Is this some kind of warning?" he mused to himself.
"But why don't I feel any superpowers or extraordinary intelligence? Maybe this is just the world's way of telling me to live life as usual."
With a sigh, Ji-ho felt a flicker of disappointment.
However, it soon dawned on him that knowing the future might be the greatest gift anyone could receive. Knowledge could prove far more valuable than any superpower. If he knew what would happen, he could prepare himself and seize opportunities others couldn't even see. But, of course, all of that would only matter if he had a clear plan and was willing to work tirelessly to achieve it. Hope alone would never be enough.
Many people work hard all their lives, yet only a few reach their dreams. Ji-ho knew this truth all too well. He had seen countless individuals fail, despite their best efforts.
"I can do this," he told himself firmly.
He pushed aside the negative thoughts that had begun to creep in. He was tired of feeling like he was always losing. Ji-ho understood that no one ever succeeded without experiencing failure first. The key was learning from mistakes and ensuring they weren't repeated. Successful people often claim that one should never fear failure, but for those who faced failure over and over, the fear was genuine. Ji-ho had felt it—the despair that seemed to swallow up every ounce of hope.
"But this time is different. I can change everything!"
Now standing at the age of seventeen, a high school student who had yet to face any significant failures in life, Ji-ho looked ahead. His future stretched before him, vast and open.
'What did I even do during those three years of high school before?' he wondered.
He began to reflect, revisiting his past. Back then, he was an ordinary student, often fading into the background of school life. It wasn't until his second year, during the school festival, that he got involved in the school's broadcasting club. That was when he met an alumnus who was studying arts and broadcasting. They became close, and slowly, Ji-ho found himself drawn to the world of filmmaking. His dream of becoming a director had started to bloom from there.
'Should I go back to filmmaking?' he thought, hesitating.
But the fear gnawed at him. In his past life, he had failed spectacularly as a director. The thought of competing with those more talented than him drained his confidence. Even the great directors often struggled with the crushing pressures of the industry, failing to secure the opportunities they deserved. Ji-ho knew all too well the harshness of this reality.
And because of that, he hesitated to chase his old dream.
"Should I use my knowledge of the future to start a business instead?" he considered.
Money was the key to making his dreams come true. Without capital, all his plans would remain nothing more than wishful thinking.
'I need to write down everything I can remember about the future. No matter how small, if history does repeat itself, this could be my golden opportunity,' he thought, his resolve strengthening.
Ryu Ji-ho understood that success wouldn't simply come to him. But this time, with the knowledge of the future in his hands, he believed he had a real chance to change everything.