It was getting colder now. And as much as that, the sun was setting earlier. Watching the sky grow dim, one could feel that winter was approaching.

  However, Jihyun blankly watched the sunset from his house. Since he had decided to rest at home until today, there was nothing he had to do at the moment.

  But that didn’t mean he was really resting.

  Even though he had been discharged, he couldn’t take a break. There were things he had to do without his family knowing, and for that, Jihyun had to keep using his ability.

  Because of that, his stamina and motivation were both completely drained. To gain safety, sometimes one must pay a price.

  The exhaustion and headaches he suffered from were part of that price.

  Of course, that wasn’t all.

  The muscle pain he got from running to save Jisoo still lingered. Sitting on the sofa, his whole body ached here and there.

  At times like this, it would be best to focus solely on recovery — to rest for a few days.

  However, since he couldn’t do that, Jihyun was still suffering. He smiled in front of his family, but that was only to reassure them.

  Besides, he had to attend police questioning several times right after being discharged.

  It was so troublesome that Jihyun couldn’t even describe it in words.

  Still, at the same time, he thought it was an interesting experience.

  The police officers who questioned him were offended. They were determined to catch the person who had interfered with their internal network and manipulated the police.

  It was understandable.

  Such a thing should never have happened. But realistically, Jihyun could not have done it by ordinary means.

  On top of that, Jihyun had already prepared a perfect alibi.

  So, even though the police suspected him, they eventually had no choice but to drop all charges.

  Furthermore, Jihyun had anticipated what questions the police would ask and had prepared his answers in advance while writing the statement.

  Through that, he was able to skillfully avoid their traps and finish the investigation without any difficulty.

  Having cleared his name, Jihyun could have ended things there.

  But he didn’t.

  For the complete destruction of everyone involved with the con artist, Jihyun had to keep using his ability every day since being discharged.

  The con artist’s crimes were significant. And the people who had received money from him and protected him were all powerful figures.

  That’s why Jihyun knew better than anyone that if he didn’t clean things up properly, his family and he would be in danger.

  So Jihyun took measures against the police, prosecutors, and even judges investigating the con artist and his associates. He even prepared in advance so that law firms couldn’t act recklessly.

  A complete downfall.

  That was the only way to protect himself and his family. Therefore, Jihyun used every means he knew, and as a result, rest after discharge had become a luxury.

  Still, now everything was over.

  It was time to take a breath, put the con artist behind, and think about something else.

  “Huu… What should I do now?”

  Jihyun murmured blankly.

  After finishing one task, he had to return to reality beyond satisfaction and emptiness.

  And in reality, there was money.

  Thanks to taking down the con artist, his forced debt was gone. But that didn’t mean his financial problems were over.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  There were still his father’s hospital bills, living expenses, and other payments to make before the legal process ended.

  Now it was time to think about how to earn money.

  He had quit his part-time job due to hospitalization. And he no longer wanted to earn money that way.

  No one with such an ability would want to make money from a part-time job. But at the same time, he had no intention of making money illegally.

  If he wanted to, he could easily do so. But if he drew police attention, life would become troublesome.

  Jihyun wanted to avoid attracting government attention. That was even more important because he could do almost anything if he wanted to.

  He had to find a job that was simple, safe, and could be turned into cash immediately.

  “Ah, come to think of it, there’s that.”

  Jihyun muttered as if something came to mind. If it was that, he could make money without any trouble.

  Of course, it wasn’t something he could do every time, but it would be enough to solve his immediate financial problem.

  “Then, let’s go find it…”

  He quietly stood up and muttered. It was about dinner time. He could plan in detail while preparing a meal before his siblings returned home.

  Humming a tune, Jihyun headed to the kitchen. Soon, as the sound of cooking filled the air, he began to plan his future.

  Lottery.

  It was one of the ways to make a decent amount of money, as long as you won.

  The only problem was that winning was difficult.

  In the case of the most familiar type, Lotto, everything was random. Until the results were announced, no one knew. It was truly a matter of luck.

  If one had the ability to see the future, that would be different, but with Jihyun’s incomplete ability, the chance of winning the Lotto was close to zero.

  However, Lotto wasn’t the only kind of lottery.

  There was also what people called a scratch-off lottery. The prize wasn’t as large as Lotto’s, but if you won first prize, it was enough to live comfortably for a while.

  Fortunately, Jihyun’s ability allowed him to know exactly which store and which ticket held the first prize.

  Then, all he had to do was go and buy it.

  It wasn’t a difficult task. The only problem was distance.

  It wasn’t in another region, but it wasn’t close either. It would be quite a long trip, from one end to another.

  Still, he was relieved it wouldn’t take a whole day. If it were out of town, it would have taken at least two days.

  Considering his family’s situation, that would have been too much. Even a short trip could be a burden sometimes. So Jihyun thought this was manageable.

  The next morning, after breakfast, Jihyun decided to move. Of course, he had to keep it secret from his family. Revealing his ability was still too risky.

  “I’m just going to look for a part-time job,” he said during breakfast.

  His mother gave him a slightly concerned look.

  “The con artists are taken care of now. Wouldn’t it be better to prepare for returning to school?”

  As a parent, she hoped Jihyun would return to school soon and graduate. Any parent would feel the same.

  “There’s still time. Anyway, it’s too much to go back this semester. Besides, I should help with Dad’s hospital bills and Jisoo’s entrance fees for next year.”

  At Jihyun’s words, Jisoo gave a bitter smile.

  It was true — her college entrance exam was coming soon. Even though she had suffered psychological trauma from the kidnapping incident, reality didn’t wait for personal circumstances.

  “Yeah… it’s coming up soon.”

  Trailing off, Jisoo stood up and cleaned her dishes. Looking at her, Jihyun’s face was filled with concern.

  Even if she had decided to delay the exam and take another year, it would’ve been understandable. But considering their family situation, she couldn’t even bring herself to say it.

  “Hey… you’re not eating more?”

  Jihyun asked her. But saying she had to go, Jisoo turned around.

  “Mom, I’m heading out!”

  She said and hurried to school. The family didn’t say much. It was the usual routine.

  Their mother simply sighed, as if apologetic, but there was a quiet sense of resignation in the air.

  “Hyung, can I get some more rice?”

  In that atmosphere, Jihyuk asked for more rice. Sometimes, a little insensitivity helped more than anything.

  Since he was still growing, Jihyun said nothing, took his brother’s bowl, and filled it with care.

  “Eat a lot.”

  “Yeah.”

  Jihyuk answered briefly and quickly emptied his bowl again. Watching his younger brother’s appetite even in the morning, Jihyun could only smile.

  It had been hard for him, but he couldn’t help feeling proud of how his siblings endured without complaint.

  Jisoo and Jihyuk had both suffered in their own ways. Jihyun was proud of them.

  And now, all that hardship would finally end today. Thinking so, Jihyun cleaned the table after the meal.

  “See you in the evening.”

  After breakfast, their mother left for work. Jihyun saw her off and began preparing to leave as well.

  “Okay. Don’t overdo it. If you’re going to work, find something good.”

  Nodding at his mother’s words, Jihyun headed out. He walked toward the bus stop to buy a little surprise for his family.

  He had already done his research on where to go.

  Boarding the bus right on time, Jihyun looked out the window and thought.

  About the new life that was about to begin. It would surely be a better, more enjoyable time. The small sense of anticipation made his heart light.

  Soon, the bus arrived at the stop. Exactly on schedule. After getting off, Jihyun headed straight to the lottery store.

  “All right then…”

  Following the information he had found, he opened the door to the store. He already knew how many tickets were left and which one to buy.

  However, the moment he entered, Jihyun was caught off guard by an unexpected situation.

  “Hey! Do you think this is the time to sell this? Where’s the money?!”

  A man shouted in anger, smashing things around.

  “Kyah!”

  The female clerk screamed in shock at his rampage. But the man didn’t stop.

  “Hey, this is the police, right?”

  Jihyun deliberately shouted. Though he wasn’t actually making a call, pretending to dial was enough to make the man hesitate.

  “Hey, that’s enough. If the police come, it’ll just be trouble for both of us, right?”

  Jihyun glared at the man as he spoke. The man looked like he wanted to say something, but after glancing at the phone in Jihyun’s hand, he cursed under his breath and walked out.

  “Are you all right?”

  After the man left, Jihyun asked the clerk. She was trembling as she replied,

  “Y-you didn’t really call the police, right?”

  “Huh?”

  Jihyun looked at her, puzzled by the unexpected question.