Return of the Genius Photographer

Woojin hurriedly packed his things and headed to the airport.

‘This never happened before…’

It was a situation he hadn’t anticipated at all.

Had his father ever gotten hurt around this time in his past life?

He searched his memories, but…

Damn it, nothing came to mind.

‘Was it because I visited his construction site last time?’

Was it because he exposed the corruption in Hyunwoo Construction?

What could have caused this sudden accident?

No matter how hard he tried to figure it out, nothing seemed certain.

To make matters worse, he didn’t even know how badly his father was injured, leaving him with nothing but a gnawing sense of frustration.

“Hey, you’re really okay going alone, right?”

Kangsan, who had accompanied him to the airport, asked in a worried tone.

Kangsan was heading to Paris for a photo shoot with a French celebrity he was acquainted with.

“Calm down for now. Panicking here isn’t going to help, is it?”

As Woojin nervously tapped his foot while waiting for his flight, Kangsan tried to reassure him in his calm manner.

Even though Kangsan himself was undoubtedly busy with his packed schedule and without an assistant, he still took the time to check on Woojin.

Woojin forced a small smile and responded, “Of course. Don’t worry about me. Just finish your shoot and take your time coming back.”

“Alright. You say not to worry, so I’ll head out. Call me when you arrive in Korea.”

“Okay.”

After steadying himself and replying, Woojin watched as Kangsan gave him one last nod before leaving the airport.

Left alone, Woojin eventually boarded the plane.

His steps felt heavy as he ascended the stairs.

The business-class seat that had felt so comfortable on his way here now seemed unbearably stiff.

Staring out at the small airplane window, Woojin sank into his thoughts.

He had thought everything was going smoothly, and yet…

‘What kind of sudden disaster is this…?’

His heart felt unbearably unsettled.

This was something that hadn’t happened in his past life.

It felt as though his father’s accident had been triggered by his own actions, and the thought left him anxious.

Even with knowledge of the past…

Even with a second chance at life…

When faced with something like this, there was nothing he could do.

How powerless could a person be?

For the entire thirteen-hour flight across the Pacific, Woojin sat rigid in his seat, wide awake, with an uneasy heart weighing him down.

***

Half-asleep, I arrived in Korea and headed straight to the hospital where my father was staying.

“Mom, how’s Dad…?”

As soon as I stepped into the room, my mother motioned for me to keep quiet with a “Shh.”

My father was lying on his side, wearing a back brace. One of his legs was also in a cast, likely injured as well.

“He’s sleeping,” my mother whispered.

“Is he okay?” I asked in a low voice.

She nodded and explained, “Yes, they said he fell from the third floor, but thankfully, his injuries aren’t too serious.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

‘It’s not a major accident…’

I had been worried that it might be an unavoidable disaster, like in my past life…

Feeling a bit at ease, I asked, “Oh, what about the hospital bill?”

“Don’t worry about that either. Thanks to the prize money you sent us, the hospital fees aren’t an issue.”

“That’s a relief too.”

It seemed the immediate crisis had been dealt with.

I had given them that money to use freely, but I never thought it would be spent like this. Then again, maybe I should be grateful it was available for such a time.

“Since you’re here now, I’ll head home for a bit. I need to grab some clothes and other things,” my mother said.

“Sure. I’ll watch over him, so take your time—and get some rest while you’re at it.”

My mother looked as worn out as my father. Her gaunt face after just three days revealed the extent of her emotional stress.

Practically pushing her out of the room, I urged her to go home. She needed rest as much as my father did.

She hesitated, clearly reluctant to leave me alone, but eventually, she left for home.

I hoped she would get some proper rest before returning.

Now it was just my sleeping father and me in the hospital room.

They said it was a single-patient room since he had been admitted in a hurry.

The room felt unusually spacious, almost lonely.

I sat in the caretaker’s seat next to the bed and gazed blankly at my father’s turned back.

‘Was my father always this thin…?’

He had seemed so large when I was a child.

But now, he looked small and frail.

“Woojin,” my father suddenly called out.

“You’re awake?”

“Yes,” he replied softly, his voice hoarse.

‘What… what should I say?’

An awkward silence settled over the room.

As I struggled to find the right words, my father let out a groan and slowly sat up.

“Let me help you,” I offered.

“No need, kid,” he said, waving me off.

He grabbed the bed rail and managed to sit up on his own. Then he said, “Good thing you’re here. There’s something I wanted to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“I think I’m going to have to sell the Starex you gave me a while back.”

“What? Why…?”

“I’ll return the money to you once it’s sold. Use it for your tuition.”

Startled by his sudden statement, I asked, “Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”

In response, he pulled something out of his wallet and showed it to me.

“What’s this?” I asked, confused.

It was a taxi driver’s license.

“I’m planning to quit construction work,” he said.

“Is it because of the accident?”

“It’s not just the accident. To be honest, I’ve been feeling that the work is becoming too much for me lately.”

I opened my eyes wide in shock.

He’s really quitting his job?

“I’ve always been worried about how we’d make a living if I ever had to stop working. And now, with this injury, it feels even more uncertain,” my father said.

This, too, was something that hadn’t happened in my past life.

I was so caught off guard that I couldn’t process his words.

“But why suddenly switch to driving a taxi…?” I asked hesitantly.

“If I drive a taxi, it’ll be enough for your mom and me to get by,” he replied calmly.

In my memories, my father had always been so proud of his work.

The sudden accident and this abrupt change in him—it was all too overwhelming for me to grasp.

“You’re an adult now, capable of handling your own life,” he continued. “As long as I can provide enough for your mom and me, that’s all I need.”

I stared at him silently, trying to make sense of everything.

He quietly added, “As your father, I might not have been able to support your dreams, but I’ll never be the one to hold you back.”

The determined look in his eyes was just as I remembered.

“We’ll manage just fine. Don’t worry about us and focus on chasing your own dreams.”

Looking me in the eye, he smiled and said, “What dreams do your mom and I have left? Our only dream is to see you succeed.”

Then, he reached out and gently held my hand.

“Got it, son?”

I couldn’t say anything in response.

No, I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

All I could do was hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

I gripped his hand tightly, lowered my head, and nodded quietly.

The world seemed hazy in front of me, like a foggy glass, as tears welled up.

“Dad… I’m just going to step outside for some fresh air,” I said, barely managing to keep my voice steady.

I was afraid he’d see the tears about to fall.

As soon as I stepped out of the room, I leaned against the wall next to the door and wept.

It hurt.

His worries weighed heavily on my heart, and the pain felt unbearable.

The fact that he had been working himself to exhaustion, only to get injured…

The fact that he had secretly gone and gotten a taxi driver’s license, worrying about the future…

All of it broke my heart.

‘Dad must have been struggling so much all this time…’

He had worked on construction sites for over 20 years.

How many buildings had he helped build with his own two hands?

Dozens? Hundreds? At the very least, it had to be in the hundreds.

Yet, no matter how many buildings he built, owning one himself was a dream that remained out of reach.

Even though my regression had given my parents a second chance at life,

Why did both their first and second lives look so full of hardship?

Why did they have to suffer again because of my regression?

It felt like all their pain was my fault, and I couldn’t stop crying, overwhelmed by guilt and sadness.

***

After my mother returned to the hospital to take over, I came home and immediately turned on my computer to start searching.

The accident had already happened, but I wanted to do something—anything—to help my father, who had decided to quit his job.

‘I have money.’

I knew not all problems could be solved with money, but I also knew that money could solve most of them.

So, I was trying to find a way within my means to resolve this issue for my father—or rather, for my family.

My father seemed to think that me worrying about the family’s issues would hold me back, but…

My perspective was a little different from his.

‘So what if I care?’

To me, my parents weren’t shackles holding me down—they were the wings that lifted me up.

Compared to everything my parents had given me, money felt like nothing.

Most importantly, I had promised myself that I wouldn’t neglect my family in this second life. Resolving this issue was more important than anything else.

‘It seems looking into commercial real estate would be the best option.’

As I continued my search, I crunched the numbers in my head and came to a conclusion.

The money I had on hand.

The best move I could make with it.

That was…

‘I’ll buy them a building.’

I decided to gift my parents a building.

Originally, I’d planned to do it after achieving greater success, but…

On second thought, it seemed like a good idea to do it before I got deeply involved in my international projects.

‘I think I have about 700 million won on hand…’

The photo that sold at auction brought in 300 million.

My agency contract fee was 200,000 USD.

Adding the income from the Doshuko shoot and the money I’d saved up before, it totaled roughly 700 million won.

Most of it was meant for my study abroad expenses, but that didn’t matter.

There would be plenty of chances to earn more money down the line.

And if I treated it as an investment, there was no reason to hold back.

‘I should concentrate on areas where property values will skyrocket in the future…’

With that thought, I began comparing the listings that caught my eye with my memories, pinpointing locations I knew would see significant price increases later.

‘Seongdong District looks good. There are plenty of listings, prices are low, and it’s a place that’ll see big growth.’

After roughly assessing the market and available properties, I fell into thought.

As a high school student, handling real estate contracts or loans secretly on my own would be nearly impossible.

At the very least, I’d need to tell my mother.

Or, better yet, find someone who could help me navigate the complex contracts.

‘There’s only one person who comes to mind…’

As my thoughts dragged on, one person popped into my head.

When it came to matters like this, there was only one place I could turn to for help.

Someone well-versed in contracts who’d readily lend me a hand.

Chairman Han Gun-ho.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I picked up my phone and made the call.

— Ring, ring…

‘Will his secretary answer this time too?’

Listening to the ringing tone, I wondered.

This was my second time calling him, the first being when I’d needed legal help with Kangsan’s issue.

Thinking back, I hadn’t spoken to the chairman directly back then.

Of course, it made sense for someone as busy as him to have his secretary handle such matters.

— Ring, ring… Click!

Just as I was thinking that, someone picked up the phone.

— How have you been?

A deep, authoritative voice came through the receiver.

To my surprise, the person who answered wasn’t his secretary but Chairman Han Gun-ho himself.

“Chairman?”

— Why so surprised?

“Oh… I assumed your secretary would answer, like last time.”

I couldn’t help but be startled.

I had fully expected his secretary to take the call.

Slightly flustered, I replied, and after a brief pause, Chairman Han spoke again,

— Congratulations. I’d been meaning to reach out to you anyway.

“Pardon?”

I asked, confused, and he quickly elaborated.

— The photo from Arles. I heard the news. You’ve captured another remarkable image.

“Ah… Thank you.”

Feeling dazed, I bowed my head toward the phone.

I knew the news had made waves even in Korea, but I hadn’t expected to hear congratulations from someone as prominent as Chairman Han.

— “There’s no need to be so surprised. I’ve been keeping tabs on your progress,” he said, almost as if he’d anticipated my reaction.

Wait… he’s been keeping tabs on me?

That was even more surprising.

— I’d love to chat more, but I doubt you called just to catch up. What’s the matter?

After briefly congratulating me, Chairman Han got straight to the point.

Snapping back to focus, I responded without hesitation.

“Yes, I have a favor to ask of you this time.”